A Holly Dolly Christmas

- WELL HELLO, AND WELCOME TO A HOLLY DOLLY CHRISTMAS.

HAVE A "HOLLY DOLLY CHRISTMAS."

MY NAME IS DOLLY.

A LOT OF YOU KNOW ME,

BUT I BET YOU A LOT OF FOLKS OUT THERE THAT ARE WATCHING,

JUST BECAUSE THEY WERE WATCHING A CHRISTMAS SPECIAL.

WELL, YOU PROBABLY KNOW ME FROM MY BIG HAIR,

MY SHINY CLOTHES AND ALL THAT.

BUT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT MY BACKGROUND,

A LOT OF PEOPLE DON'T.

I GREW UP IN THE GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS OF EAST TENNESSEE.

I GREW UP IN A BIG OL' FAMILY, 12 OF US KIDS,

SIX GIRLS AND SIX BOYS.

AND OF COURSE WE HAD A LOT OF FUN GROWING UP

IN THE MOUNTAINS.

WE DIDN'T HAVE A LOT OF STUFF THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE

NOTHING THAT MONEY COULD BUY.

WE HAD A LOT OF GOOD STUFF.

THINGS MONEY DON'T BUY ANYWAY.

THINGS LIKE LOVE AND KINDNESS AND UNDERSTANDING AND ALL

THAT STUFF THAT YOU REALLY NEED THAT YOU CAN'T PUT A PRICE ON.

RIGHT?

ANYHOW, I HAVE SO, SO MANY PRECIOUS MEMORIES.

MY GRANDPA OF COURSE, WAS A PREACHER.

AND I USED TO GO TO CHURCH,

LEARNED EVERYTHING I KNOW ABOUT JESUS

IN THAT LITTLE HOUSE OF PRAYER.

SO THAT'S KIND OF HOW I'D KIND OF SET UP THIS LITTLE SET UP,

TO WHERE WE HAVE LIKE A LITTLE CHURCH BENCH.

SO I'M GOING TO KIND OF BE SITTING UP AND DOWN.

THEY SAID, "WELL, WOULD YOU JUST PLEASE SIT DOWN

AND DO THE WHOLE SHOW, BASICALLY SITTING DOWN?"

I SAID, "I CAN'T DO NOTHING JUST SITTING DOWN,

BUT I'LL TRY TO BEHAVE, I'LL TRY TO SIT HERE

AND TALK ABOUT SOME OF MY PRECIOUS MEMORIES."

BECAUSE I HAVE TO TELL YOU THEY ARE PRECIOUS.

OF COURSE NOW GROWING UP IN THE COUNTRY,

CHRISTMAS IS A LITTLE DIFFERENT THAN IT IS FOR FOLKS

GROWING UP IN THE CITY.

NOW, WHEN I GREW UP IN MY VERY EARLY DAYS,

WE DIDN'T HAVE ELECTRICITY.

SO WE HAD TO KIND OF MAKE OUR OWN CHRISTMAS LIGHTS.

AND DADDY USED TO ALWAYS GO CUT DOWN THE CHRISTMAS TREE

EVERY YEAR, MY BROTHERS AND MY DAD, AND DRAG IT BACK HOME.

AND ALL THE GIRLS AND THE LITTLE KIDS WERE KIND OF ALWAYS

WERE BACK AT THE HOUSE,

PREPARING TO PUT ALL THESE ORNAMENTS ON THE TREE.

NOW WE MADE OUR OWN, BY THE WAY, MY MOMMA WAS VERY CREATIVE.

SHE USED TO HAVE ALL THESE BIG BOXES OF SCRAPS, MANY COLORS,

WHICH I'LL GET TO A LITTLE LATER ON IN THE SHOW,

BUT SHE USED TO ALSO MAKE LITTLE BOWS AND RIBBONS OUT OF ALL

THE CLOTH THAT SHE USED TO GET.

AND SO WE'D POP OUR OWN POPCORN,

WE'D STRING THAT ALL AROUND THE TREE AND MOMMA WOULD CUT OUT

A STAR OUT OF A PIECE OF CARDBOARD AND WE'D PUT TIN FOIL

AROUND IT, YOU CALL IT ALUMINUM FOIL, I GUESS.

BUT ANYHOW, WE PUT THAT AT THE TOP OF OUR TREE

AND EVERYBODY HAD FUN WORKING ON THE TREE.

SO THAT MADE IT REALLY, REALLY SPECIAL TO US.

EVEN WROTE A SONG ABOUT IT AND IT'S CALLED,

"I'M COMIN' HOME FOR CHRISTMAS" AND IT GOES LIKE THIS.

- COMING UP, I'M GONNA BE TELLIN' YOU A STORY

ABOUT A COAT OF MINE.

ONLY ON CBS.

- AND OF COURSE, I THINK A LOT ABOUT MY MOM.

MOM DIDN'T HAVE ANYTHING EXCEPT A BUNCH OF KIDS.

MOM AND DADDY GOT MARRIED VERY, VERY YOUNG.

AND OF COURSE, MOMMA, SHE WAS THE KIND OF PERSON

THAT JUST COULD TELL YOU ANYTHING,

MAKE IT SOUND GOOD,

COOK ANYTHING AND MAKE IT TASTE GOOD.

I REMEMBER THIS ONE TIME, IT WAS CHRISTMAS TIME

AND WE ALWAYS HAD OUR LITTLE CHURCH SERVICE

AT THE LITTLE HOUSE OF PRAYER.

AND OF COURSE, I GUESS THE CHURCH

HAD THROWED IN A LITTLE MONEY

TO WHERE EVERYBODY COULD HAVE A LITTLE GRAB BAG.

CAUSE WE ALWAYS HAD SERVICES

AND EVERYBODY AROUND OUR PARTS WERE VERY POOR.

SO EVERYBODY WAS GOING TO GET A LITTLE CHRISTMAS PRESENT,

EVEN THE GROWNUPS,

THE WOMEN AND YOU KNOW ESPECIALLY THE KIDS.

SO I REMEMBER THIS ONE PARTICULAR TIME

THAT MOM HAD SO MANY KIDS, THAT THEY WERE GIVIN'

ALL THE PRESENTS OUT TO ALL MOMMA'S KIDS.

SO MOMMA DIDN'T GET ONE.

SO I REMEMBER THIS ONE LADY SAYING,

"WELL AVIE LEE, YOU WON'T MIND WILL YOU?

CAUSE YOU HAD SO MANY KIDS,

THEY GOT SO MANY OF THE PRESENTS."

AND OF COURSE, MOMMA, EVERYBODY'S A KID AT CHRISTMAS.

AND I REMEMBER MOM SAID,

"NO, NO, NO, I UNDERSTAND, I UNDERSTAND THAT."

SO I SAW MOM OVER, SITTING ON THE BENCH CRYING.

SHE DIDN'T MAKE ANY NOISE,

BUT I WENT OVER AND I SAID,

"MOMMA, YOU CAN HAVE MINE."

SHE SAID, "NO, NO, HONEY, I DON'T WANT YOURS,

BUT I LOVE YOU BECAUSE OF YOUR GOOD HEART."

SO BECAUSE OF MOMMA,

I'VE ALWAYS TRIED TO HAVE A GOOD HEART

AND I JUST WANT TO LOVE EVERYBODY,

NOT JUST AT CHRISTMAS,

BUT ALL THE TIME I WANT EVERYBODY TO LOVE ME.

I KNOW THAT'S NOT POSSIBLE, BUT THE ONES THAT DO LOVE ME

KIND OF MAKE UP FOR THE ONES THAT DON'T,

YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN.

BUT ANYWAY, I ALWAYS THINK ABOUT THAT

CAUSE I THOUGHT, YOU KNOW,

MOMMA WAS JUST A LITTLE KID TOO AT CHRISTMAS.

SHE NEVER HAD A CHANCE TO GROW UP.

SHE WAS JUST A KID WHEN SHE STARTED HAVING US

15 YEARS OLD WHEN SHE HAD MY SISTER, WILLADEENE.

BUT ANYHOW, I'LL ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER MOMMA SAYIN' I HAD A GOOD HEART.

SO HOPEFULLY I WILL ALWAYS HAVE A GOOD HEART.

SO MOMMA HAD SUCH GOOD HEART

THAT WHEN SHE WAS SEWING ME A LITTLE COAT

THAT I NEEDED TO WEAR.