During a recent interview with TODAY’s Hoda Kotb, Dolly Parton shared her thoughts about Christmas and discussed the hymn that gets her through the loss of loved ones. The interview took place before the airing of Dolly’s Christmas special, Dolly Parton’s Mountain Magic Christmas.
After verifying that Dolly’s Christmas tree is already up—it’s been up since before Thanksgiving, Hoda asks Dolly how she came to embrace the spirit of the holiday.
Dolly attributes her generosity to the way in which she was raised. She shares that her grandfather was a preacher, and her parents were giving people. In her faith-based family, they understood that “it’s better to give than to receive.”
Dolly describes her new movie musical, which is about the making of a network television special. The cast includes Jimmy Fallon, Willie Nelson, Billy Ray Cyrus, Zach Williams, Ana Gasteyer, among others. Clips promise a colorful, fun 2-hour event. And, even though Dolly is filled with holiday cheer, she reflects for a moment with Hoda on sad times within the last year.
Hoda references Naomi Judd and Loretta Lynn, who passed away in April and October of 2022, respectively. Dolly comments that Loretta was “like a sister,” and she and Naomi were the same age and enjoyed the same things.
She goes on to mention Kenny Rogers, who died in March 2020. The two recorded one of the most successful duets ever, Islands in the Stream. Take a listen to “You Can’t Make Old Friends” the affection between the two artists is beautiful!
There’s a particular hymn that Dolly finds comfort in. The song is “Precious Memories,” and here are a few lines from the song, which has been recorded by many artists over the years:
Precious mem'ries, unseen angels,
Sent from somewhere to my soul;
How they linger, ever near me,
And the sacred past unfold.
Dolly will be celebrating again before the end of the year, because she will host a New Year’s Eve Special with her god daughter, Miley Cyrus. But, when asked about resolutions for 2023, Dolly says that she wants to try a little harder to lift others up, bring joy, and show kindness in whatever way that she can. She encourages everyone to set aside petty differences and do likewise. We think she probably does a very good job of that already!
Hoda and Jenna recap the interview with an announcement that Dolly will be putting out a rock album next year. It will feature a variety of other artists, and Dolly believes it is the best work that she’s done to date! That’s saying something!
It’s not too late to catch Dolly Parton’s Mountain Magic Christmas; it’s streaming on NBC.com and Peacock!
“Those who give to the poor will lack nothing, but those who close their eyes to them receive many curses.” Proverbs 28:27