Dolly Parton shares words of wisdom for anyone dreading Christmas with their family

Country music icon says she was put off hosting Christmas dinner after a disastrous Thanksgiving meal last year

Dolly Parton has some advice to anyone dreading spending Christmas with difficult family members.

The Queen of Country is a noted fan of the festive season, releasing three Christmas albums and also starring in two movies: 2020’s Christmas on the Square and the 2022 TV film, Dolly Parton’s Magic Mountain Christmas.

However, in a recent interview with The Independent, she revealed that opposing political opinions had caused trouble during her own family gatherings, which has put her off volunteering as host this year.

“I have a lot of fans on both sides – Republican, Democrat and straight down the middle. They can’t have Christmas dinner together because they’re having a fight at the table!” she said.

“Only invite people who are compatible,” she suggested. “The easy-going ones, who don’t want to talk about all that politicking.”

Parton, who was called out by her own sister, Stella, in 2019 for not talking more about the #MeToo movement, said her own Thanksgiving dinner last year was “a disaster”, and so she isn’t planning on hosting one next week (23 November).

“We’ll just go visit [relatives], and then it doesn’t have to get into a fist fight,” she said. “We’ll have a Holly Jolly Dolly Christmas, instead.”

Parton has previously spoken about how she celebrates Christmas each year. In a 2020 interview on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, she admitted that she puts up a Christmas tree in every room of one of her homes, while other properties are decorated with different themes.

“I have a lake house and we decorate it kind of with the theme of water,” she revealed.

Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square (© 2020 Netflix, Inc.)

Parton released her first festive album in 30 years, A Holly Dolly Christmas, in October 2020, the same year she starred in and wrote all of the songs for Netflix’s Christmas musical, Christmas on the Square.

In the film, Parton played the role of Angel, a celestial being determined to change the heart of the Scrooge-like Regina Fuller (Christine Baranski).

This week, Parton released her latest album Rockstar, a collection of original songs and covers of classic rock hits by artists such as Prince, Elton John, Led Zeppelin and The Beatles.

She enlisted a number of collaborators for the project, including Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Stevie Nicks, Joan Jett, and her goddaughter, Miley Cyrus.

Music - Dolly Parton

“I wanted it to be good, because I wanted rock artists to hear it and say, ‘Well, you know, that ain’t bad!’” Parton told The Independent.

She’d considered doing a rock album years ago, but it wasn’t until she was nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022 that she decided to go for it.

“I thought it turned out really well,” she said. “I’m proud of it!”