Trisha Yearwood feels like celebrating, and she's inviting Nashville to the party.

State of play: The grande dame of '90s country music is closing out a year of firsts with (another) new album and her first-ever Christmas tour, which will pair her lush voice with symphonies around the country.

• Her album "Christmastime" is out today. Yearwood will kickstart her tour next month in Music City.

Flashback: The festivities are only months removed from Yearwood's other new album, "The Mirror," which saw the singer embrace songwriting for the first time in her 35-year career.

• Yearwood reached fame as a premier interpreter of other people's songs. Her shift to songwriter was revelatory and well-received.

What she's saying: "This is the best time of my life career-wise, even though it's not the big '90s thing," she tells Axios. "I feel like I'm finally my whole self, and I love it."

Zoom out: Her joy spills over into "Christmastime." Yearwood recorded the whole 12-track collection in four days, singing live with an orchestra in Los Angeles.

• Many of the 50+ musicians played on her 2019 standards album, "Let's Be Frank."
• "When you're creating something live like that, you all feed off each other, and there's just this energy," she says. "It's kind of a love fest."

Fun fact: The day after Yearwood wrapped her album, she says, the musicians were booked to record the score for "Only Murders in the Building."

Zoom in: The arrangements are spritely and surprising, and so is the track list, which zigzags between holiday favorites and unconventional picks.

Case in point: A soulful take on "You're a Mean One Mr. Grinch" is followed by "Pure Imagination" from "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory." Yearwood says she relished those unexpected turns.

• "To be able to bring something new to the party is pretty rare and pretty cool."

Yearwood included one original: "Merry Christmas, Valentine," which she co-wrote with her husband, Garth Brooks.

🤔 Adam's pick: As a Trisha superfan, my standout song was "Years," a bittersweet reflection on the passage of time written by Music Row pro Beth Nielsen Chapman. It's got the same heart-rending quality as "The Song Remembers When."

What's next: Yearwood's 12-date Christmas tour aims to recreate the magic of those recordings with local symphonies in each city.

• Yearwood says the setlist will be holiday-forward, but she might slip in some of her biggest hits.
• "I just don't think I can do a show without singing 'She's in Love with the Boy.' I don't think it's legal."

If you go: Yearwood performs with the Nashville Symphony Dec. 2-3 at Schermerhorn Symphony Center.

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A creative partnership between city leaders and a Nashville nonprofit aims to help homeowners with cases in Environmental Court repair their properties.

Why it matters: The program aims to help elderly and economically disadvantaged residents, as well as military veterans, fix up their properties so they don't face expensive fines and court cases.

• Once a property becomes distressed because of city codes violations and subsequent fines, it can pressure an owner to sell their home when they would rather not.

How it works: A property owner ends up in Environmental Court if they haven't taken care of an alleged Metro Codes infraction, like grass that grows too tall, a disabled vehicle in front of the house or a roof in need of repairs.

• Under the new partnership with the nonprofit Rebuilding Together Nashville, the Environmental Court would identify owners with under $5,000 in needed repairs.
• The nonprofit's crew would do the work, and then Metro Codes would verify the repairs and the case would be dismissed.

What he's saying: Mayor Freddie O'Connell said in a press release the partnership fits with the city's new housing strategy.

• "This is Unified Housing Strategy in action — preserving the homes we already have while we work to grow supply," he said in a press release "When we fix what's broken and keep people housed, every neighborhood benefits."

Get involved: Rebuilding Together Nashville is in need of donations and volunteers.

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The Nashville airport is not targeted for flight reductions tied to the ongoing federal government shutdown, but BNA travelers will likely face delays. (Axios)

• Go deeper: What to do if the FAA cuts or cancels your flight

State Rep. Aftyn Behn, the Democratic nominee in the District 7 special election, won't commit to backing House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries for speaker if she wins next month. (Axios)

Inter Miami will be without one of its best players in tomorrow's deciding playoff game against Nashville SC. Forward Luis Suarez was suspended by the league for kicking an SC player earlier in the series. (Tennessean)

Private prison operator CoreCivic has seen a 55% increase in immigrant detainee contracts, according to the company's recent earnings call. (Tennessee Lookout)

Start your engines and fire up your brains: It's quizzin' time.

1. How much of Tennessee's state revenue comes from sales taxes: 10%, half or two-thirds?
2. What entertainment industry problem do the Country Music Association and Belmont University hope to address with their new partnership?
3. Name one of the ways you can help curb food insecurity caused by sidelined SNAP payments.

✍️ Hit reply and send us your answers. If you get them all right, your name will be forever enshrined in glory. (Translation: We'll give you a shoutout in Monday's newsletter.)