Dolly Parton Says She's 'Always in Costume at Christmas'

Dolly Parton embodies the Christmas spirit with her show-stopping wardrobe.

The “Jolene” singer, 77, opened up about dressing up for the holiday season in a new Instagram post while sharing some photos showing off her holiday costumes and casual Christmas attire in her closet.

Parton opened her Instagram carousel with a throwback photo appearing to decorate Christmas cookies with a toddler in her arms. In the snap, she looks up at the camera with sugar spread across her cheek and nose while decked out in a Santa Claus sweater and matching Santa Claus earrings. 

In a second shot, she showed off an elegant white gown with faux fur trimmings on the neckline, bottom and sleeves placed on a mannequin for viewing. The white gown is reminiscent of other gowns that she’s worn for holiday performances. 

She also shared a shot of a trio of red Christmas bodysuit, each with their own Santa Claus-inspired design, with one suit featuring Santa’s signature buttons, while another had white faux fur trimmings around the bust and at the end of the sleeves.     

“I’m always in costume at Christmas,” she captioned the post. 

“If I’m not in a Santa suit, I wear reds and greens. I wear sweaters with Christmas lights on them where I push a button and I light up,” she explained. “My hairdresser Cheryl Riddle, even puts Christmas lights in my hair for Cookie Night.” 

She concluded the post with a shout out to her new book, Behind the Seams: My Life in Rhinestones, and said it discusses “so many Christmas memories and more” of hers.

The “9 to 5” singer has notably worn several fun Christmas costumes throughout the years. 

During her TV special, Dolly Parton's Mountain Magic Christmas, last year, she donned a form-fitting reindeer bodysuit bedazzled with rhinestones, complete with a red bowtie. She also wore a sleek white jumpsuit with her initials “DP” written on the lapel.

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While reactions to her fun outfits have often been regarded positively, that’s not always the case. Last month, she made headlines for wearing a version of the Dallas Cowboys' cheerleader uniform that featured a white vest with blue stars, a chest-baring blue crop top, and white shorts while performing at the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Commanders Thanksgiving Day game.

Some people praised the 77-year-old singer for her bold outfit, while others questioned whether she should have donned the outfit at her age.

Several stars including Parton’s sister Stella Parton and Whoopi Goldberg came to her defense, with Stella saying on X (formerly known as Twitter), “I personally thought my big sister Dolly was cute as hell in her Dallas Cowboys cheerleading costume at the half time show on Thanksgiving.”

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