Dolly Parton Is Ready to Lift Spirits in Her New Holiday Special: 'I Feel Like I'm a Part of Christmas'
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Miller Mobley/NBC Dolly Parton
Forget Santa Claus. Is it really Christmas without Dolly Parton?
Once again, the country legend is obliging our craving for her inimitable holiday spirit, this time with a brand-new TV special, Dolly Parton's Mountain Magic Christmas, set to air Thursday evening on NBC.
"I just feel like that it was time for me to do another special like this, with good music, with comedy, with meaningful things," Parton tells PEOPLE, "and to kind of make you feel entertained for a couple hours just to get away from everything else."
This time around, Parton has crafted a show within a show: Set at Dollywood, her Tennessee Smoky Mountains amusement park, it tells the backstage story of the making of a network TV special. In her journey, Parton is visited by Three Wise Mountain Men, portrayed by Willie Nelson, Billy Ray Cyrus and Christian artist Zach Williams, who teach her about the real magic of Christmas.
But Parton, 76, readily acknowledges that she has long been acquainted with the power of magic.
"Being magical is to lift up out of yourself and your troubles for a little while," she says. "To me, if you can even do that, even with one song, then that is magical. I just think the whole idea of trying to make things uplifting is magic within itself."
Katherine Bomboy/NBC Dolly Parton
Her hope for the special, she adds, is to "make people happy and touch them, make them think and feel better about things … At the end of the show, I want them going away feeling like 'I've been to a service of some kind. I feel better about myself and about life.'"
And yes, Parton says, she realizes that people tend to think of her as part of that holiday magic. "I feel like I am kind of part of Christmas," she says, "like one of those cartoons or one of the stuffed animals or some of those things that you think about at Christmastime, like a little elf. I so love Christmas and I love everything about it."
Ever the songwriter, Parton is proud to note that the show will feature new music she has written, as well as beloved favorites, including "9 to 5" and "I Will Always Love You." Besides Nelson, Cyrus and Williams, musical guests include Jimmy Fallon, Miley Cyrus and Jimmie Allen. The cast of actors features Tom Everett Scott, Ana Gasteyer and Angel Parker.
Katherine Bomboy/NBC Jimmie Allen and Dolly Parton
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Nelson's participation in the special is especially meaningful to Parton. The two have been friends since her arrival in Nashville in 1964, when she signed on to the music publisher that Nelson was also working for. They later were record-label mates.
"Our lives have kind of been parallel all through the years," she says about her fellow Country Music Hall of Fame member, who turned 89 this year. "We just have a special bond because of that. And I've just always loved him. And so I asked if he would come be on this show with me, and he said he would. We're two of the old timers, you know. We've lost so many of our dear friends through the years, but Willie and I are still hanging in there."
Katherine Bomboy/NBC Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson
The TV special is just one of several reasons Parton has been keeping busy these days. Of course, most recently, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos gave Parton her latest project: In recognition of her significant philanthropy over the years, she received the task of giving away $100 million to charity.
RELATED: Dolly Parton Awarded $100M Prize by Jeff Bezos 'To Do Good Things'
But the country queen also has been carrying on with her musical craft. She's just released a greatest-hits compilation, as well as an expanded version of her 2020 best-selling holiday album, A Holly Dolly Christmas. She'll also be hosting a New Year's Eve special with goddaughter Cyrus later this month.
Katherine Bomboy/NBC Miley Cyrus and Dolly Parton
A new inductee into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Parton is also now in the process of making a rock 'n' roll album. As she told PEOPLE, "I'm gonna have to live up to it if I'm gonna be in the Hall of Fame."
What makes her sign on to a project these days?
"I say 'yes,'" she says, "if I feel like it's a good thing to do and the right thing to do and that I can devote the kind of time and energy to it that I should. If it's something I believe in, I'll work till I fall over."
She adds: "I love what I do, and I'm gonna work as long as I can. I won't ever say I'm going to retire. As long as I'm able to work and stand on my feet and be creative, I will. It keeps me young, I think, certainly young at heart. And it makes me want to do things. All these dreams that have come true bring on new dreams, and I have to be responsible for that. I can't just say, 'OK, y'all made my dreams come true. I'm done.' That's not who I am."
Katherine Bomboy/NBC Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton's Mountain Magic Christmas premieres at 8 p.m. EST/7 p.m. CST on Thursday, Dec. 1, on NBC. It also will stream on Peacock.
