Carrie Underwood Sets the Table With ‘Stretchy Pants’ Holiday Anthem

The fun loving jam raises money for a great cause.

Written by Chris Parton
Carrie Underwood Sets the Table With ‘Stretchy Pants’ Holiday Anthem
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - APRIL 18: In this image released on April 18, Carrie Underwood performs onstage at the 56th Academy of Country Music Awards at the Grand Ole Opry on April 18, 2021 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for ACM)

The holidays are here, and along with the spirit of the season comes a few months of meals that could set your diet back a whole year. But for 2021, Carrie Underwood is going with the flow. Releasing a fun-loving tribute to eating your weight in turkey, the country superstar has got her “Stretchy Pants” on.

Written by Underwood with frequent collaborators Hillary Lindsey and Chris DeStefano as the trio were writing songs for her Christmas album, My Gift, the track is the upbeat family-style dinner anthem you never knew you needed. Featuring the saucy side of Underwood’s deliciously soulful vocal and a sleigh-bell beat, the grooving tune is all about expanding good times by expanding waistlines, and enjoying every bite.

Meanwhile, a lovable animated video was created by, directed and produced by Andrew Seth Cohen and Ryan Kieffer of Confidential Creative, and a portion of the proceeds from streaming and downloads of the digital-only track will be donated to The Store — the Nashville-based free grocery store co-founded by Brad Paisley and Kimberly Williams-Paisley to combat food insecurity. It’s all in good fun and all for a good cause, but the famously healthy Underwood says she means every word.

“People know that I am a champion for a healthy lifestyle, but a big part of that is balance. There are times to be disciplined, and then there are times when we need to eat and drink and be merry and enjoy ourselves with family and friends,” she says.  “When Hillary, Chris, and I were writing some more serious Christmas songs, one day we took a fun detour and just had the best time writing this song.  We knew it would bring a lot of fun and joy to people, but I also wanted to do something good with it that would help people. I immediately thought about Brad and Kim’s charity, The Store, and how we could use this song to help them and their mission to bring joy to folks that need it, especially during the holiday season. Everybody should be able to afford feasts for the holidays, and everybody should have the opportunity to break out those stretchy pants!”

Carrie Underwood released the deluxe edition of her first Christmas album, My Gift, in September. She just hit Number One on the country album charts with Jason Aldean on the duet, “If I Didn’t Love You,” and the superstar pair wowed the 2021 CMA Awards with a performance of the tune last week.