Dolly Parton kicks the holiday season into high gear Thursday as her Mountain Magic Christmas movie premieres on NBC.
The two-hour film takes you behind the scenes during the making of a fictional TV special at her real-life East Tennessee theme park, Dollywood. The TV event features many of the songs — and guests — from her most recent yuletide offering, A Holly Dolly Christmas: Ultimate Deluxe Edition.
Dolly hosts Jimmy Fallon, Miley Cyrus, Willie Nelson and Billy Ray Cyrus, as well as a couple of her new favorites.
“We had Zach Williams, who did the wonderful song ‘There Was Jesus’ with me that we had a million selling record on and won a Grammy on,” the new Rock & Roll Hall of Famer explains.
“Jimmie Allen is so fun and so energetic, and he was one of the new artists that we brought on … They really did a wonderful performance on the show. And Jimmie is such an entertainer in addition to being such a wonderful person,” she adds.
But for Dolly, it’s her own relatives who really make the special shine.
“One of the highlights of the show for me is getting to work with my family,” she reflects. “And I had a whole bunch of my nieces and a lot of my family — sisters that came in to sing with me.”
“I couldn’t round them all up, but I got a whole bunch of them, because there’s a whole bunch of us,” she smiles. “So we probably had about 19 or 20 of my immediate family coming on to be part of it.”
You can be a part of Dolly Parton’s Mountain Magic Christmas, starting at 8 p.m. ET Thursday on NBC.
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