Elvis Presley: The 1 Person He Trusted to Say the Family Christmas Blessing
Elvis Presley was a traditionalist when it came to the Christmas holidays. He loved the serenity of the days leading up to Dec. 25 and the fun that ensued through New Year’s. However, he insisted the day’s solemnity be honored by one person, whom he entrusted to say the Presley family Christmas blessing at dinnertime.
Elvis Presley didn’t want the significance of Christmas to go unnoticed
Christmas Day was of great importance to Elvis Presley and his family. They shared their main meal in the middle of the day and entertained friends and family later.
Dee Stanley, who wed Elvis’ father Vernon in 1960, claimed Elvis entrusted her with an essential part of the Christmas holiday. He wanted her to say a traditional blessing before dinner.
“Elvis asked me to say grace before we ate. He told me that he respected my Christian faith, and I know he was sincere in what he said,” Dee revealed (per The Arab Tribune). “If I happened to walk into a room where someone was telling an off-color joke, he would tell them to stop,” Dee shared.
What did Elvis Presley and his family eat for Christmas?
Elvis Presley could have had any food he wanted served at his family’s holiday meal. However, he entrusted Graceland’s cooks to prepare him a traditional Southern dinner.
“Elvis enjoyed the same type of food that most families serve at Christmas,” Dee revealed. “We had turkey and dressing with all the trimmings. He loved ham as well, so we had that at times.”
Elvis had several cooks over the years to prepare meals at Graceland. Alberta Holman was there while Elvis’s mother, Gladys Presley, was still alive. Cooks such as Mary Jenkins and Nancy Rooks also worked hard to ensure Elvis and his family were well-fed.
“Of course, all of us cooked some,” Dee explained. “Elvis had one special cook for the day shift and another for the night shift. When he was home, they had to have someone cook around the clock.”
Dee continued that the cooks were busy preparing meals for Elvis, his entourage, and the guests who regularly visited. Graceland’s weekly grocery budget topped $500, likely due to the many people fed daily.
Dee Presley revealed what was on Elvis Presley’s regular rotation of meals
Traditional Southern delicacies were always part of Elvis Presley’s rotation of meals. These were the types of meals that peppered his day-to-day life.
Dee Stanley explained that Elvis always wanted the food he grew up with on Graceland’s menu. These were ordinary dishes most Southern cooks mastered at that time.
“He loved fried pork chops, fried crisp bacon, black-eyed peas, hamburgers, and things like that,” Dee shared. However, “He did not like seafood. In fact, Priscilla and I could not even eat a tuna sandwich when he was home.”
Elvis Presley’s Graceland home is decked out for Christmas with the same decorations the King of Rock and Roll purchased. The decorations remain up until Jan. 8 in keeping with his wishes.
