It’s A Holly Dolly Christmas, y’all! On Sunday night (Dec. 6), Dolly Parton unveiled her brand-new Christmas special on CBS.
The inimitable country icon wasted no time getting into the holiday spirit, kicking off the special with a festive rendition of “A Holly Jolly Christmas” live from a stage in Nashville.
Over the course of her titular TV event, Parton performed a number of songs off her new Christmas album of the same name, from classic covers like “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus” and “Mary Did You Know?” to original numbers “Circle of Love” and “Comin’ Home For Christmas.”
Surrounded by hundreds of flickering candles and framed by stained glass, the country star also treated viewers to a poetic reading of “Christmas Is” (which features a guest appearance by her goddaughter Miley Cyrus on the LP’s musical version), an a cappella rendition of 1925 hymn “Precious Moments” and a wistful performance of her classic autobiographical 1971 hit “Coat of Many Colors.”
For the special’s grand finale, Parton changed from her sparkly minidress into a flowing, bejeweled robe to offer a much-needed message of hope before belting out “I Still Believe” with a socially-distanced gospel choir. “I do wish you a Merry Merry Christmas, no matter how limited it might be this year,” she said. “And I’m hoping for a better New Year. I’m sure you are, because Lordy this couldn’t get much crazier could it?”
A Holly Dolly Christmas is now streaming on CBS All Access.
Watch all of Dolly’s numbers from the festive special below.
