Dolly Parton’s Parade Performance Was Socially Distant but Emotionally Necessary
For the sake of the nation’s health, literal angel Dolly Parton did not fly to New York and board a float in the cold and the rain for this year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade. She did perform, however, from a magical, socially distanced nether-space and beamed it in to this year’s broadcast. The mastermind behind Christmas on the Square sang “Holly Jolly Christmas” in a Christmas tree-filled studio, in front of a Thomas Kinkade-ish backdrop of a Cracker Barrel restaurant in the middle of a snowy forest. It is somewhat awkward to see a Cracker Barrel outside of its natural habitat (off an interstate highway in a parking lot full of F150s) but the point of the segment is Dolly’s beautiful trill and the lovely Christmas ponchos and vests — presumably from the Cracker Barrel gift shop, sold next to a garden gnome holding a sign that says “Jesus Loves Florida State Football” — worn by her backup singers. In the middle of Parton’s rendition, she gives us some banter, plugging her Christmas album: “You know, Thanksgiving is the start of the holiday season. Christmas is just around the corner. You got your shoppin’ done? Hope you go buy my new Holly Dolly record ‘cause I’ve always wanted to do a little song called ‘Holly Dolly.’ So I did! And I hope you’re going to enjoy it for the holidays.” The woman gave us a coronavirus vaccine; buying her album is the least we can do.
