McBride is looking ahead to the end of November when she launches her headlining Christmas tour. Dates on the itinerary keep her in Southern and Midwest arenas for nearly one month.

No schedule for anything past the end of the year has been announced yet, but with that new album waiting, it’s fairly likely McBride will return to the stage in the new year.

The eponymous disc is her first album of all new material in four years and features some help from top artists including Vince Gill and Jamie O’Neal.

“It’s truly been a great year for me,” McBride said. “I’ve had a lot of wonderful things happen in my career.”

She couldn’t be more right. In addition to being a top-selling artist, McBride was recently bestowed with a Recording Academy Hero Award from the Recording Academy. It’s the Grammy organization’s highest honor and recognizes those who have improved the lives of music makers and those who use music to improve the lives of others.

But that’s not the only notch on McBride’s belt; she was just nominated for female vocalist of the year for the CMA Awards, which take place November 5.