Last year, music icon Brenda Lee was crowned Honorary Queen of Christmas when her 1958 classic “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” took the top spot on the Billboard charts – a spot traditionally held each December by Mariah Carey’s “All I.” Want for Christmas “Are you.” Now that the 2024 holiday season is in full swing, Lee seems ready to reclaim the honor once again.

On December 10, it was announced that the song had surpassed one billion streams on Spotify, making it the only holiday song by a female country artist to do so. “I was amazed when I heard it,” Lee tells PEOPLE exclusively. “I can’t even think so high, let alone say!”

Lee was also honored by the Recording Industry Association of America for “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” and was certified seven times platinum – meaning it has sold more than 7 million copies. To date, it remains the second highest-grossing certified Christmas track behind Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You.”

The festive rivalry between the two pop divas is friendly. When “Rockin'” went to No. 1 last year, Carey sent Lee congratulatory flowers. “I thought it was very sweet,” Lee says. “That was so nice of her.”

Her song’s 1 billion streamer status isn’t the only milestone Lee has to celebrate this holiday season. On December 11th it will reach its eighth decade. “I think the label is having a birthday party for me and I’m looking forward to it,” she says. “They say there will be some surprises. I can barely wait for it!”

Lee has spent most of her 80 years making music. While she scored her first Billboard hit at the age of 12, she was singing long before that. “Somehow I always knew I would do this because I loved it so much,” she says. “I mean, I would have done it for free! I would definitely have sung. But I never thought my legacy would be a Christmas song.”

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While “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” sold well in the ’50s and early ’60s, it wasn’t until 1990 that the song achieved its current status as a cross-generational anthem. “One day someone called me and said, ‘Brenda, have you seen the new movie?’ I said, “No, which one?” And they said, “Home alone.”. Your song is everywhere.’ And that’s where it really started.”

Since then, the song’s reputation has continued to grow. In 2023, Lee released a new music video for the song, featuring guest appearances from country stars Tanya Tucker and Trisha Yearwood. This year, she debuted a new 7-inch vinyl release (including a limited-edition pink version available at Target), and in October, she treated her fans to a rendition sung in Spanish using AI technology. Led by four-time Latin Grammy award-winning producer Aureo Baqueiro, “Noche Buena y Navidad” utilizes the original music and background vocals while replacing Lee’s original lead vocals with a newly translated Spanish-language vocal using a state-of-the-art AI trained by him. The model was created using Lee’s voice.

Despite the different lyrics and visual elements, Lee feels that the heart of the song is the instrumental track, which was recorded with the help of Nashville session giants such as Hank Garland and Harold Bradley on guitar, Floyd Cramer on piano, and Boots Randolph on saxophone became. “It was almost like telepathy. We just knew what each of us should do,” she says. “There’s just something magical about some songs, and I think that’s what ‘Rockin’ has.”

Lee and her Christmas hit will also be celebrated again on December 16th at 10pm E American Masters – Brenda Lee: Rockin’ Around Premieres on PBS. The documentary will explore Lee’s life and legacy, as well as the roots of her classic song.

Like many of us, Lee can’t believe the holiday season is here again. “It seems to slip away before you know it!” she says, laughing. Not only does she hope to have some time to read a few books (“I’m a voracious reader,” she says), but she’s also looking forward to connecting with her loved ones.

“I’m kind of old-fashioned,” Lee continues. “I like it when my family and all my friends come over. We celebrate and have a good time.” Everyone gathers around their “old-fashioned” Christmas tree. “I always have a living, green tree. I like the smell of it. I have jewelry from when my children were little. We always use these alongside the new ones we add every year.”

With both Christmas and her birthday here, Lee is entitled to a double helping of wishes. This year she’s hoping for something that doesn’t come from the store. “I want people not to suffer and to have a good life,” she says. “Our world moves so quickly and furiously. I think it misses the point of kindness. I just want our world to be better.”