The twelve song album, recorded during the hottest Texas summer on record, features holiday standards such as "Winter Wonderland" and "White Christmas" as well as modern songs including a cover of "All That I Want" by The Weepies.

"I was building out a home studio and wanted to record some tracks to test out the acoustics. Temperatures were hitting 108 in Texas but on a lark, my producer and I decided to record some Christmas songs," said the singer. "Winter Wonderland" was recorded in my living room. We had to turn off the A/C to make sure the noise didn't show up on the track, and it was just brutally hot. Despite the heat, we were having so much fun that we just kept going. I chose my absolute favorite songs; I wanted to play what I love."

Peters rounds out the disc with a new composition and title track "The Christmas We Hoped For." "I tried to capture the wistful optimism and nostalgia many people feel at Christmas," said Peters. "The song is about taking a deep breath and trying to leave behind the regrets and misunderstandings that have accumulated throughout the years, and putting them aside, if only for a little while."

The music on the album was primarily a collaboration between Peters and her producer, Rip Rowan. Grammy-winning guitarist Joe Reyes also contributed to the album on songs such as "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year," and "The Christmas Song." Salim Nourallah, who co-produced some of Peters' past records, joined in on some of the full-band songs.