It’s no secret that Dolly Parton loves the Christmas season.
The country music legend, 78, has released three Christmas albums and starred in several Christmas movies during his decades-long career. And similar to the title of her album from 1990. Home for Christmasthis is exactly what she has been able to do for years: always being at home for the big holidays.
During promotion Dolly Parton’s Billy the Kid is coming home for Christmasher first holiday-themed children’s book, the “Jolene” singer spoke exclusively to PEOPLE about why staying home for the holidays is a can’t-miss tradition for her and how it ties into her new book.
Parton says being home for Christmas is so important to her that she wouldn’t even take a well-paying gig if it meant missing the holidays. This feeling inspired the heartwarming story of the book.
“In this book, the performers have the dilemma of whether we’re going to go on the road or whether we’re going to take shows for money, because so many artists get so much money offered to actually perform at certain events during the holiday season,” she explains. “But to love your family and let it be a family tradition. You always want to be home for Christmas, and that’s what this little book is all about.”
Dolly Parton and her French bulldog Billy the Kid.
Courtesy of Dolly Parton
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Parton’s new book features Billy the Kid, a character based on her beloved real-life French bulldog who also appeared in it The New York Times bestseller Billy the Kid Makes It Big Dolly Parton. Billy has to decide whether to play a paid gig or go home for Christmas. However, like its owner, it opts for a holiday tradition.
“Billy gets a big offer to work at the Barcafella Centre, so he’s already promised to be home for Christmas, so he ends up going there,” she says of the book’s plot. “But there’s a lot of fun, story and everything in between.”
She adds: “I love being home for Christmas and I’ve missed all kinds of holidays, but as far as I know I’ve never been home for Christmas.”
Considering Parton’s very busy career, that’s quite a feat. She tells PEOPLE that it’s not just about tradition and getting together with family, but also about decor and good food.
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Dolly Parton’s New Children’s Book ‘Billy the Kid Comes Home for Christmas’.
Penguin Young Readers
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“[I love] the tradition of being home for Christmas, being with family, having all the good food and all the different dishes that different family members make, and just the music, and just all the festivities of lights and sounds, and everything to do with Christmas,” the singer-songwriter tells PEOPLE.
Now Parton’s fans can get a taste of her family’s holiday feasts, thanks to a new cookbook she released on Sept. 24 with her sister Rachel Parton George. Good Lookin’ Cookin’: A Year of Meals features Parton family recipes and classic American dishes. It also, of course, includes some of the “9 to 5” singer’s favorite holiday dishes, some that will likely be on her table come Christmas.
“I always love everything we do at Christmas. So many things we have at Thanksgiving, you know, like sage dressing and gravy and mashed potatoes and sweet potato bars,” Parton tells PEOPLE when asked about her favorite holiday foods. “I’m big on making a big old pot of chicken and dumplings, and everyone looks forward to that too.”
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Dolly Parton’s Billy the Kid is coming home for Christmas — written by Parton and Erica S. Perl and illustrated by MacKenzie Haley — is now available wherever books are sold.
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Source: HIS Education