Even though the children in her family are all grown, Parton says the Christmas tradition lives on
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Granny Claus — we mean, Dolly Parton, — is coming to town!
In the latest cover of Good Housekeeping UK, Parton dished on how she celebrates her favorite holiday, Christmas. She admits to the publication that she goes “over the top,” which means she finds a way down the chimney in true Santa fashion.
“Every year, I play Granny Claus – I get in my Santa Claus suit and I come down the chimney with my sack full of presents,” she explained. “Even though a lot of the children are grown-up now, they still expect me to do it. One day, I’ll be hobbling in that elevator!”
The 78-year-old does not have children of her own with longtime husband Carl Thomas Dean but finds joy in spreading love to others. “Now that I’m older, I realize I didn’t have kids of my own, so everybody’s kids could be mine,” Parton said in her 2018 PEOPLE cover interview. “I [want to] empower children and give them confidence.”
While inside her home is a winter wonderland, she opts to keep the outside of her home slightly more subtle. “Tourists come round and look at the outside of my house, so for their sake, it’s a bit less tacky out there, but inside I can tacky it up any way I please!” she jokes with Good Housekeeping UK. “I have Christmas trees in all the rooms, everything has lights on – and then we add more lights, and then more lights. I change all the decor up – the dishcloths and the curtains.”
And the obsession is even seen in her choice of clothing. “I have Christmas lights in my hair – I have them everywhere,” she reveals. “I wear earrings that light up, a reindeer necklace that lights up, I wear sweaters with Christmas lights on – you push a button and I light up!”
Parton’s Christmas attire is no secret. In 2023, she shared an Instagram post of her holiday ‘fits throughout the years with the caption “I’m always in costume on Christmas.” She also details her love for extravagant fashion in her book Behind the Seams: My Life in Rhinestones. According to an interview with The Guardian, Parton was inspired by the “town tramp.”
“She was flamboyant,” the “Jolene” singer told the outlet. “She had bright red lipstick, long red fingernails. She had high-heeled shoes, little floating plastic goldfish in the heels of them, short skirts, low-cut tops, and I just thought she was beautiful.”
Most recently, Parton donated $1 million toward Hurricane Helene relief after her home state of Tennessee was one of the states impacted. The donation was made in collaboration with local businesses and Walmart. “I really, really wish that we were all together for another reason, but we all have seen the devastation,” said Parton during a press conference.
“I mean who knew in our little part of the country here, where I was born and raised just right down the road, that we would have this kind of devastation?” Parton continued. “I look around, and I think: These are my mountains. These are my valleys. These are my rivers flowing like a stream. These are my people. These mountain colored rainbows. These are my people and this is my home.”