She’s the ‘Queen of Country’ and the face of cowgirl chic with her bedazzling outfits, skyscraper heels and big hair – so naturally Dolly Parton tells Closer that Christmas in her house is anything but low key.
The legendary superstar puts a tree and lights in every room of her £10 million Nashville mansion – and even jokes that she sticks ‘Christmas lights’ in her hair.
Now Dolly, 78 – who has been married to husband Carl Dean for 58 years – tells Closer it’s all about getting together with family and friends, including her pop star god-daughter Miley Cyrus.
The singer – who was one of 12 siblings growing up and describes her family as ‘dirt poor’ – smiles, ‘I go all-out for Christmas. My family call me Granny Claus, Dolly Claus or Gigi Claus, it just depends on the different generations! I’ve been doing that since I had my younger brothers and sisters. They’ve got children, and now their children have children, so I’ve just been at it for years. Christmas is a big thing for us!
‘We all sing Christmas songs around the piano – all the traditional ones like O Little Town Of Bethlehem and Silent Night. But then we’ve got to have Rudolph and all of the fun things, Santa Claus Is Coming to Town, all of that. Miley loves to sing too, but our favourite thing to do at my house is to cook!’
So what does Dolly – who has just launched her own amazing collection of wines – serve up on Christmas day? The Jolene singer – who’s had 25 No.1s and released more than 3,000 songs – laughs, ‘We have turkey and ham, black eyed peas and cornbread dressing, and then we have lots of mashed potatoes, coleslaw and that sort of thing. My wine is great because it goes with different things. And if you like good food and good wine, I think it all goes together just like fashion. We really are big on having lots of great things for all the holidays.
‘We all start eating around Thanksgiving [which Americans celebrate in late November] and we eat until the first of January, and that’s when we all go on our diets. You know how that goes? So, you think, "Well, I’m not going to even think about dieting now. I’m just going to eat everything I want to.” You stretch your clothes out! But you’re ready for a diet after the first of the year.’
But Dolly – who has an estimated fortune of £500 million – says the most important thing about Christmas is making it special for the children in her family.
She smiles, ‘We have lots of traditions that we do with the children. They come to my house every year, and I have my fireplace. I also have an elevator in my house, and I have it dressed as if it’s a fireplace so when it comes down to the basement and then I open up the elevator, it’s like Santa coming down the chimney! And I make sure there’s a big bag of toys.’
And the country legend – who has also starred in a number of smash hit films including 9 To 5 and Steel Magnolias – says she doesn’t care about receiving flashy presents.
Dolly says, ‘I just like the gift of family and the kids coming over. I’d rather give than receive during that time, especially when you’re an older one. There’s nothing like Christmas with the kids.
‘People ask me, “What do you give somebody that has everything?” And I say, “Something to put it in!” So I’m big on tote bags and baskets, and I love costume jewellery and colourful, cheap stuff. I’m the easiest person in the world to buy for, because I don’t really wear fine jewellery. I like dressing up and wearing jewellery that matches my costumes. And so I’m actually fun and easy to buy for.’
Dolly Wines Rosé and Prosecco are available at ASDA now.