Dolly Parton dresses up as Granny Claus "every" Christmas.
The 78-year-old country music icon has no plans to stop her yearly tradition of playing the festive character, even if all the children in her family are grown up, and quipped that one day she will be "hobbling" down the chimney.
Speaking to Good Housekeeping UK’s December issue, she said: “I’ll do whatever I can to put a smile on their faces. 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, 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!”
Christmas hits Dolly's home in November on Thanksgiving and absolutely everything, even her hair, is decorated with lights, with the star admitting she loves to make the inside "tacky".
She said: “These days, my Christmas starts in November. I have my house and my yard decorated, I put a cross on top of the chapel, and on the night of Thanksgiving, I flick the switch and it all goes on. 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! 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. Oh, and I have Christmas lights in my hair – I have them everywhere. 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!”
When it comes to receiving gifts, Dolly - who is the fourth of 12 children and has teamed up with her sister Rachel Parton George, 65, on the recipe book 'Good Lookin’ Cookin’: A Year Of Meals' - insists she loves receiving costume jewellery, bags and purses.
However, the 'Dolly Parton's Christmas on the Square' star confessed she gets someone else to buy her presents for her sisters, because she doesn't believe she has great "taste".
She said: “Everybody says to me, ‘Oh, I don’t know what to get you – what do you buy somebody who has everything?’ And I say, ‘Well, you get ’em something to put it in!’ I’m the easiest person on Earth to buy for because I love costume jewellery and tote bags and purses. As for my sisters, I usually send somebody out who has better taste than me to make sure they get them the really good stuff.”
Read the full interview in Good Housekeeping’s December issue on sale from 24 October, or head to www.goodhousekeeping.com/uk/dolly-parton-december-cover.
