Priscilla Presley Once Recalled Her First Christmas at Graceland With Elvis Presley – ‘It Was Such a Happy Time’
The holidays can be a joyous time for many, and Elvis Presley especially enjoyed Christmas. The musician and actor met Priscilla Presley in 1959, and three months later, they spent their first Christmas together in West Germany.
A few years later, Priscilla would come to Graceland to spend her very first Christmas there. She once recalled the details about the special occasion in an interview, and it sounds like she had a great time.
How did Elvis Presley and Priscilla Presley meet?
Although the marriage lasted six years, things were broken off with their divorce in 1973. But before that, they met in Germany where Elvis was stationed in the U.S. Army. Priscilla’s own stepfather was in the U.S. Air Force at the time, and the future couple met at a party Elvis had at his home on September 13, 1959.
Biography.com reports that Elvis played music and performed during the first evening they met, and he was doing his best at impressing her. Priscilla was only 14 at the time and Elvis was 24, but despite their age difference, the two would start dating.
Priscilla once recalled her first Christmas at Graceland
They spent their first Christmas together in Germany, and a few years later in 1962, Priscilla would come to Graceland, Elvis’ famous home in Memphis, Tennessee, for the holidays. Priscilla spoke on the radio program World Cafe in 2017 [via NPR]. She talked about spending Christmas with Elvis, and what she remembers from that first occasion at Graceland for the holidays.
According to Graceland.com, the official website for Graceland, Elvis bought the world-famous home in 1957 for a little more than $100,000. When Priscilla was just 17, she came to the United States from Germany, where she was still living at the time, to spend Christmas with Elvis, and it’s one she still remembers.
“Yes, it was really beautiful,” Priscilla recalled. “Elvis drove me up the front gates. And then the gates open up, and I see all these beautiful lights. And he takes me to the front door, opens it up, and all of his friends are there and to celebrate the holidays. It was, how can I say? It was already joyous, music was on, and it was such a happy time.”
Many of Elvis’ friends were there for the special get together
Priscilla recalled a lot of Elvis’ friends and people he did business with, including his jeweler and dentist, were there for the celebration. She describes her ex-husband as being “loyal” with his friends, and he would include them in their activities. The occasion was full of Elvis’ companions, and what a moment that must have been.
“He had all his friends there from, I mean from the theater, people who owned the theater that we went to,” Priscilla said. “It was people that, his jeweler, his dentist. It was you know, friends that he didn’t see that often, but that he had used ever since he started in the business. Elvis was so loyal to all of his friends and they were always included in everything that we did.”
Priscilla said her parents were concerned with her going to spend Christmas alongside Elvis at a young age. “They’re concerned because you know listen, this was very big for my parents,” Priscilla continued. “This was too big for them to try to figure out.” However, they eventually agreed with it, but Priscilla still needed to write to them and stay in communication during her time away.
It was a Christmas to remember at Graceland, and one full of friends around Elvis and Priscilla.
