6 Can’t-Miss Dolly Parton Holiday Movies That Prove She’s the Queen of Christmas
This time of year, Dolly Parton fans can drive, bake, and dance to her many Christmas songs. They can also cozy up to a holiday movie featuring the Queen of Country herself. As someone who loves Christmas, Parton has appeared in a number of holiday movies that are worth watching this year. Here are some of the films that can make your holiday merry and bright.
‘Christmas on the Square’
In the Emmy-winning 2020 film Christmas on the Square, Christine Baranski stars as a wealthy woman who plans to sell her hometown, evict the residents, and bulldoze the land to make way for a mall. The film takes a mishmash of holiday movie staples — the return to a hometown, the locals full of holiday cheer, the old flame reignited — and sets them to the tune of music by Parton. On top of writing the music, Parton also plays an angel determined to teach the Christmas spirit to Baranski’s character.
‘A Holly Dolly Christmas’
A Holly Dolly Christmas is another 2020 Christmas special that functioned as Parton’s answer to a challenging year. In it, Parton regales the at-home audience from a candlelit set, sharing memories and singing songs. Per Parton’s official website, “Dolly brings both powerful, faith-filled hymns and light-hearted holiday classics to viewers, sharing personal Christmas stories and faith-based recollections of the season, interspersed with songs from her new, record-breaking #1 holiday album A Holly Dolly Christmas.”
‘Dolly Parton’s Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love’
This film is a Christmas-themed sequel to Dolly Parton’s Coat of Many Colors, a movie about Parton’s childhood. Dolly Parton’s Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love is based on the true story of the time Parton and her siblings chose to forgo presents so their father could buy their mother a wedding ring. At the same time, a blizzard threatens Christmas, and Parton learns that her voice could lift her to great heights. The adult Parton appears as “The Painted Lady,” the real-life woman who inspired Parton’s look.
‘A Country Christmas Story’
In A Country Christmas Story, a young woman wants to be a musician like her father. To follow her dreams, she enters into a singing competition at Dollywood. The film focuses on dreams, family, and the contributions Black Americans have made to country music.
“It’s a sweet original movie, and I like just being able to play my music, be part of whatever I’m doing,” Parton said, per her official website. “I did write some of the music for this little show. And I enjoy getting to act a little bit. It’s just fun. I do different stuff.”
‘Christmas at Dollywood’
In Christmas at Dollywood, a New York-based Broadway producer returns home to Tennessee to produce a Christmas show at Dollywood, Parton’s theme park. Here, she meets the head of operations, who would prefer to handle the event on his own. The holiday romance also features Parton, who appears as herself. It also features scenes shot in Dollywood for fans hoping to get a peek at the park’s Christmas decorations.
‘A Smoky Mountain Christmas’
This Henry Winkler-directed special is a fantasy adventure about a country singer (Parton, of course) who attempts to clear her head by visiting her friend’s Smoky Mountain cabin. When she arrives, she finds seven runaway orphans taking refuge there. When Parton’s character attracts the eye of the local sheriff, his ex, a witch, attempts to kill her. With the help of a mountain man (Lee Majors), Parton and the children reach their happy-ever-after. The story is essentially Snow White, Dollyized.
