The first of two Dolly Parton Christmas specials aired Friday night. The Pandora Live event featured musical performances and holiday memories from Parton and her special guests. Between performances, Dolly answered prerecorded questions from her youngest fans in a segment called “Dear Dolly”.
Each of the answers was given with the songwriter’s sweet, southern charm. One answer was a little more touching and timely than others.
Dolly Parton and Friends: The Pandora Live Event
The event was broadcast live Friday evening. Dolly kicked it off with her rendition of “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Clause.” She then gave the stage to Brett Eldredge, who performed an original song. Both Carly Pearce and Tasha Cobbs Leonard performed classic Christmas songs. Dolly Parton brought it home with “Holly Jolly Christmas.” The performances were stellar.
What made the special seem so special were the moments between songs. All of the performers talked about their favorite Christmas traditions and shared some holiday memories. The guests also shared which of Dolly’s tunes was their favorite.
In a prerecorded segment, Dolly answered video questions from her home.
The “Ask Dolly” Segment
From a comfortable chair beside her Christmas tree, Dolly Parton gave answers to several questions. The children and viewers alike learned about the country icon’s holiday traditions with her siblings, her recollections of snow, and more.
The most touching moment of the special came when a young fan named Charlette asked Dolly what she would ask Santa for this year. After saying that she would ask Santa for fun things to give her nieces and nephews Parton said, “I think I’ll ask Santa to make everything happy again. So we can all get out and play and go to school and do all the fun things that we used to do with our friends.”
While the rest of the show was beautiful and seeing Dolly answer questions from children was adorable, this short exchange really encapsulates this season. Many people probably have the same thing at the top of their wish list this year.
