Why Dolly Parton Got ‘a Whipping’ for Participating in Secret Santa at School
Dolly Parton grew up in poverty. She and her 11 brothers and sisters lived in a two-bedroom cabin along with their mother and father in the mountains of East Tennessee. The winter was the most difficult time for the family, due to the conditions. They had no heat and often no running water. But Christmastime was difficult for the Parton kids in another way—they were told not to participate in Secret Santa at their school, which put them in an awkward and painful situation.
Dolly Parton got in trouble for participating in Secret Santa at school
In her first memoir, Dolly: My Life and Other Unfinished Business, the “Light of a Clear Blue Morning” singer writes about a time she got in trouble around the holidays.
“I can remember getting a whipping for drawing names at school,” she wrote. “At Christmastime, they put all of the names in a box and everybody would draw one to see who he or she was supposed to give a gift to.”
Parton’s father had a strict rule against participating—”but what was I supposed to do?” wrote Parton. “Everybody else in school drew one.”
Parton says the worst thing about poverty is ‘the shame of it’
The “Don’t Make Me Have to Come Down There” singer called the incident “traumatic.”
“Even if I could explain away not being able to buy someone a gift or, worse yet, give the person a really cheap or homemade gift, there was always the possibility that somebody would give me something really nice,” she wrote.
The thought of receiving a nice gift from one of her classmates was almost too much for Parton to bear.
“This made me feel terrible—guilty, poor, and terrible,” she wrote. “The worst thing about poverty is not the actual living of it, but the shame of it.”
What the Queen of Country loved about the holiday season as a child
Though Parton has some difficult memories surrounding her school’s Secret Santa, the holidays have always been an exciting time for the “Down From Dover” singer.
“Still, Christmas was a warm, wonderful time for us,” she wrote. “Snow has a way of making even a humble shack look magical and inviting. Christmas will always be certain images to me: the glow of the fire through the windows, the crackle of a pine knot burning, even the smoke that seemed to reach out and pull you by the nose into the house.”
Parton has expressed varying feelings about growing up in poverty. She’s written about how her family’s financial situation sometimes brought on feelings of shame, not to mention how difficult their day-to-day lives were. On the other hand, she’s famous for her quote: “We didn’t have any money, but we were rich in things that money don’t buy. You know, like love and kindness.” Her song “Coat of Many Colors” is about being proud of the coat her mother made her from rags, despite her peers making fun of it due to the coat’s DIY appearance. Every part of Parton’s upbringing, as well as her feelings about it, all make the Queen of Country who she is today—one of history’s biggest, brightest stars.
