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- Story Listed as: Fiction For Adults
- Theme: Fairy Tales & Fantasy
- Subject: Fantasy / Dreams / Wishes
- Published: 12/25/2020
Santa Claus Meets Dolly Parton
Born 1956, F, from Smithville/ Texas, United States.jpeg)
"It costs a lot of money to look this cheap." Country music superstar, Dolly Parton, giggled softly remembering her own famous words as she glimpsed at her post-interview reflection in her dressing room mirror. Christmas carols played in the background over imbedded speakers in the room and throughout her home. Tired as she was, Dolly's mood matched the cheerful music and the home's lively Christmas decor. She simply was not too wrung out to laugh good-naturedly at the overfeminized caricature of herself that she'd created. Even with all the television appearances, stage performances and preparations for the holiday season, Dolly was energized with good cheer. After all, her career not only enriched Dolly financially, it enabled her to center her efforts and aspirations around that delightful phenomenon called 'the helping high'. It's that exquisitely warm feeling you get when you selflessly help another. And more than anything, Dolly Parton loved helping others - people, dogs, children, eagles. Everybody.
The cheery sounds of 'Jingle Bells' coming from Dolly's home music system segued to 'Winter Wonderland' as Dolly was removing her wig and hair extensions. By the time the 'Twelve Days of Christmas' was down to a partridge in a pear tree, she had removed every vistage of make-up: foundation, fake lashes, blushers, liners, highlighters, toners, colors - all gone. She had freed herself from the shrink-wrapped, glittery dress and its accompanying, but restrictive undergarments as the last strains of 'Feliz Navidad' played out. At last and to the beat of 'Little Drummer Boy', Dolly was padding toward her kitchen for a cup of hot chocolate. Within minutes and with a steaming mug in hand, she sunk into the cushiony softness of her fireplace-facing couch wearing her favorite holiday onesie, a pair of fluffed-up reindeer slippers and a Santa's hat that she wore every Christmas Eve as an old-time sleeping cap. At 74, relaxed in her own home and finally au naturel in face and form, Dolly Parton was beautiful. Except for the most discerning among us and her adoring husband of 54 years, she was also nearly unrecognizable. As the tiny fire crackled, then sputtered out into ashes, Dolly sipped at her hot chocolate and marveled at the joy and peace of the holiday season. Feeling dreamy and a tiny bit fatigued, she placed her mug on the coffee table and stretched herself across the couch, sighing contentedly.
No sooner than Dolly closed her eyes did she hear a rustling, swooshing sound coming down the chimney. Instantly awake, but believing she was in her own bedroom, she reached for her husband, Carl Thomas Dean. Realizing she was still downstairs in the living room, Dolly thought about rushing upstairs to tell him they had a special visitor. A really special, over-the-top, not-to-be-believed visitor. She hesitated, then made the wise decision to be present when Santa Claus stepped from the fireplace and onto the white living room carpet of her Nashville, Tennessee mansion.
"Santa! Oh, Santa!" Dolly Parton squealed, then rushed to Santa's rotund presence and literally threw her entire 5', 105 lbs frame at him. "You came! After all these years, you're finally here," she gushed. Suddenly, she froze, looked at him skeptically and asked, "I'm not dreaming, am I? I mean, it's really you. Right, Santa?"
Santa's rich, booming laugh echoed thoughout the large room, "Ho! Ho! Ho!" while Dolly beamed.
"It really is me, my dear Dolly, and we must hurry. Christmas is almost here, the elves have been working non-stop and Mrs. Claus won't stop talking about how thrilled she is to finally be meeting you."
"You...you...mean, I get to go with you to deliver presents in Nashville?"
"Ho! Ho! Ho! Nope."
Disappointment stretched across Dolly's face. Seeing this unintended reaction, he quickly filled her in. "You're coming in the sleigh with me to deliver presents to all the good girls and boys around the world," Santa Claus told an elated Dolly Parton. "In fact, I need your help," he added seriously.
The help that Santa needed and that Dolly could provide was fully inspired by her father, Robert Lee Parton, who was illiterate throughout his life. Santa told Dolly how Mrs. Claus had been watching 'The Oprah Connection' on Apple TV+ last month when the country music superstar said, "Daddy was a very smart man...but he was ashamed that he couldn't read or write. That bothered him. He felt like he couldn't learn after he was grown. I remember thinking, 'I need to do something' ". Santa also told her how impressed Mrs. Claus was with that 'something'. Dolly Parton founded the Imagination Library.
Dolly promised to tell Santa all about the Imagination Library while they were on their way to the North Pole. It had been a slower departure from Dolly's mansion than Santa preferred, but Dolly really needed to nuzzle and baby-talk each of Santa's reindeer before she would allow them to pull her weight.
Dolly was like that; always putting others first, always thinking of others. She even brought a face mask along with her for their sleigh trip around the world. She knew that Santa Claus and everyone at the North Pole were immune to the virus gripping the world. A leading epidemiologist named Dr. Anthony Fauci had even said so, but Dolly wasn't immune and hadn't yet received a vaccine, so she was going to wear her mask in other people's homes to spare them any risk. That it had cute reindeer patterns on it was just a holiday bonus for Dolly.
Anyway, Dolly kept her promise to tell Santa about her Imagination Library, and it nearly brought him to tears he was so touched. The thought that children in five countries around the world could get free, high quality and age-appropriate books shipped to them every month from birth to kindergarten was deeply inspiring to him. Dolly explained that she wanted to get children excited about books so they could find the magic in reading. She said, "I know there are children in every community with their own dreams. They dream of becoming a doctor or an inventor or a minister. Who knows, maybe there is a little girl whose dream is to be a writer and singer. The seeds of these dreams are often found in books, and the seeds you help plant in your community can grow across the world.” Santa listened quietly while she continued, "We've been doing this for 25 years now, Santa. Of all the things I've done in my life, this is one of the most precious to me." With her wide, signature smile, Dolly couldn't help but add, "We've given out more than 150 million books!"
As they approached a Christmas-like little village bustling with elves decked in green and red and white, Santa Claus told Dolly Parton that she and Mrs. Claus were on the same page about kids and reading. Before she could respond though, a plump-cheeked woman with kind eyes behind round spectacles burst through the front door and scurried across the snow to Santa's sleigh.
"Dolly Parton! Girlfriend, I have been wanting and waiting to meet you. Come in! Come in!"
After countless cups of holiday cheer and colorful cookies, Mrs. Claus and Dolly Parton selected children's books to give out to all the good girls and boys. They talked and laughed and immediately bonded as did every previous visitor to the North Pole. And of course, Mrs. Claus asked Dolly for her autograph which she promptly put in her alphabetized collection of signatures from luminaries of other Christmastime visits. Dolly Parton's autograph was carefully placed between Desmond Tutu's and Dora The Explorer's.
In the meantime, Santa Claus and his elves loaded gifts onto the sleigh and fed and watered the reindeer for their Christmas deliveries around the world. Dolly and Mrs. Claus walked toward the sleigh hand in hand, chattering and laughing. Both were dressed in red and white, and with their complexions, they looked warm and precious, like caramel and cream. Departure details went as planned and before you could say 'peppermint sticks', Santa Claus and Dolly Parton were lifted gently into the starry Arctic night, pulled by eight tiny reindeer.
Across the ocean and surrounded by the Himalayan mountains in the valley city of Kathmandu, a little girl named Binsa lay awake in her bed and dreamed a secret dream that she had held since she watched her very first football game. Her Buba, or dad, had taken his three children to the stadium to witness a match between his beloved Nepalese team and a rival. It was the most exciting day of Binsa's life. Her dream was to be a football star, a goalie. The only thing was: Binsa was a girl. She didn't have the money for her own soccer ball or for proper footwear, so Binsa's only hope for both was in her late letter to Santa.
Breathless with wonder at the Himalayas, Dolly Parton whispered to Santa Claus as they circled the city of Kathmandu before their midnight approach, "I've never been to Nepal, Santa. It's wonderful!"
"And the people are, too!" Santa exclaimed. "Why, I just got this letter from a very good little girl here in Nepal. All she wants for Christmas is for her mom, dad and brothers to be healthy and safe...and for a soccer ball and goalie shoes."
Dolly chuckled and asked, "What's her name, Santa?"
"Her name is Binsa. It means 'woman who is fearless'. It's pretty fitting for her."
Dolly thought for just a moment before she declared, "Mrs. Claus and I have picked the perfect book for her!"
"Jolly good," said Santa Claus. "We're almost there. Tell me about it." His chubby, red cheeks glistened in anticipation.
Dolly Parton told Santa that Binsa's holiday book was called 'The Night The Reindeer Saved Christmas' by Raj Kaur Khaira, a Nepalese lawyer and children's books writer who believes in girl-power. Dolly said the story was about the time that Santa's sleigh had lost power and how his reindeer had saved the day. "Oh, I remember that time," Santa said, adding, "The girls really came through for me that year." Like most people, Dolly hadn't known that Santa's reindeer were all female, well, except for Rudolph. "The proof is in the antlers," Mrs. Claus had explained to her earlier over hot cocoa. "Female reindeer keep their antlers throughout the winter, Dolly," she'd said. Dolly was learning quite a bit already and she loved it.
"What's next, Santa?" Dolly asked after zipping around the Asian continent answering children's letters to Santa with gifts and leaving a Christmas morning surprise for them with Dolly's and Mrs. Claus's book selections.
"We've got one more stop in Asia. A whole lot of good girls and boys in South Korea sent me some very nice letters, so off we go!" Santa answered. "Ho! Ho! Go!" he instructed his team of reindeer and off they flew towards the southeast.
On the impossibly beautiful semi-tropical island of Jeju, a seven-year-old boy named Yu-jun had just returned to bed after checking on his family's Christmas tree. It was just before midnight in South Korea, and Yu-jun was hoping Santa had already come to deliver the presents he had asked for in his letter. Alas, the area under the tree was empty except for a few errant pine needles. This actually gave Yu-jun hope that maybe he could spot Santa Claus in his home this year. He had tried staying awake for Santa's visit since he was three, but always seemed to miss him. This year would be different, he vowed to his sleepy self as he drifted off to dreamland.
Approaching from the northwest far above the sleeping Yu-jun, Santa Claus and Dolly Parton flew towards the island of Jeju and its enormous, but dormant volcano, its stunning cascading waterfalls and giant jungle-like forests. Santa filled Dolly in on the island, explaining that the now-quieted volcano had once erupted leaving behind the finest lava tube system in the world which UNESCO inscribed on to its World Heritage list. The lava tubes were like huge underground tunnels that boiling lava had formed on its way to the ocean many years ago. Scientists from around the world would travel to the volcanic island for continued study, Santa said.
"And little Yu-jun, who by the way is a very good boy, was so fascinated by the scientists and their studies of the lava tubes that his first and foremost dream for his future was to be a volcanologist," Santa told Dolly.
"Well, I can certainly relate to his curiosity and interest in the sciences," Dolly responded, briefly remembering her friendship and conversations with a scientist that led to her million dollar donation toward the development of a vaccine in his name. "Does he have a good support team? Even for a little scientist, you gotta have a team to back you up. Right, Santa?" she asked.
"Well, that's the thing, Dolly. You see, Yu-jun is terribly shy and his shyness makes him appear as unfriendly to others," Santa Claus said, shaking his head. "There's nothing I can put under the tree to help with that," he added sadly.
"I can help!" Dolly practically shouted as they descended toward the island of Jeju. "I have just the book for Yu-jun."
It was a book called 'Magic Candies' by Baek Hee-na, an award-winning South Korean children's writer and illustrator. "Oh, Santa, it's perfect for him. It's a touching story about a little boy who overcomes his shyness when he buys a bag of candies that let him hear the silent voices of others, like a sofa or a dog or a tree. And Yu-jun will really like the 3D illustrations and stop gap animations," Dolly's words tumbled out excitedly.
Santa Claus perked up, "Ho! Ho! Ho!"
The house was quiet as a mouse when Santa Claus and Dolly Parton entered and set about placing gifts under the tree. Santa put down the coveted home-use seismometer and an accelerometer that Yu-jun had asked for in his letter. That the youngster knew how to use these volcanologist's tools filled Santa's big heart with warmth and pride. And with Dolly's book selection for Yu-jun, Santa Claus just knew the boy was headed for a dream come true. What he didn't know was that the shy boy, whose name means friendly, courageous and handsome, had been peeping quietly from around his bedroom doorway and had watched every move that Santa and a lady in a reindeer-patterned mask and green and red onesie made. The future volcanologist, who in 20 years would save thousands of lives with his accurate predictions of an erupting volcano, smiled happily and turned back toward his bed.
Meanwhile, approximately 8,814 miles across the Pacific Ocean, a cute and very curious two-year-old sat quietly in her highchair, intently watching the insects of the evening cavort around the light outside her screened-in patio. Creatures were always on Irie's young mind. She loved watching every living thing she could lay her deep, brown eyes on. And that included her mom, who at that very moment was preparing a large dish of traditional rice and gungo peas for tomorrow's Christmas Day feast. Irie's gaze moved back and forth between the lively bugs outside to her frantic mom stirring a huge pot of Jamaica's signature holiday dish.
Irie lived in Kingston, capitol of Jamaica, with her mom and older sister. Many years from now - twenty-eight, to be exact - Irie would still be living in Kingston, but at the age of thirty, she would be the country's youngest minister of the Jamaican Department of Environment and Climate Change. No one could have guessed she would ever hold such a position, particularly since, at this point, she couldn't even count. After all, baby Irie was only two. She couldn't even really talk! Irie's vocabulary consisted of about 200 words and a few phrases like "Say bye-bye?" or "More milk". She was on pace in early childhood development, but she was also impatient, due to her inordinate curiousity. Irie yearned to know how insects make their homes, why birds can fly, what makes a cat purr. She wanted to change all that lack of knowledge, but didn't know how or when it would happen. Young Irie didn't have to wait long, for at the stroke of midnight, when she and her huge extended family were at Christmas Mass, Santa Claus and Dolly Parton slipped into her cottage with gifts for all. There especially was a book for Irie that would catapult her education towards her not-yet-formed dreams of environmental and climate science scholarship. The seeds were planted.
"Santa, this is just the cutest book for little Irie. It's written by Faustin Charles, a man my age who lives in Trinidad and has written poems and books for children. It's called 'The Caribbean Counting Book' and it's a playful collection of counting rhymes and stories that uses the sights and sounds and animals of the Caribbean," Dolly whispered excitedly, running her hand across the book's colorful, glossy cover. "It's perfect for her," she murmured thoughtfully.
Santa had already placed the family's gifts around their tree and was enjoying a slice of the Jamaican fruitcake left for him as he replied, "I think so, too. Her big sister, who is an aspiring child poet, asked for a book in her letter to me. So, if she reads it to Irie, the toddler can learn twice as fast."
"That's what I love to see, Santa; kids asking for books! What'd she want?"
"A learning book called 'A Is For Ackees: A Jamaican Alphabet Book' written by Rebekah Henderson. It's a book from A-Z with short rhymes about Jamaica, its nature and culture. I think Irie's sister likes the illustrations, too. The illustrator, Nancy McBride, draws these great pictures and presents them in the book as framed artwork. It's really cool."
"It sounds nice, Santa. But what are 'ackees'?"
"Ho! Ho! Ho! It's a bright red fruit in the lychee family. It looks a lot like Rudolph's nose after a long pull at the water trough!"
Speaking of whom, Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer and his all-female team had just enjoyed a nice drink of water and a spot of hay and were stomping their hooves in anticipation of the flight home. After flying to all four corners of the Earth delivering gifts and books to good girls and boys, Santa's reindeer were ready for their cozy, warm stalls at the North Pole. More than anything though, the reindeer knew how critical their mission was and allowed Santa Claus and his guest all the time they needed to make a child's holiday merry and bright. They waited patiently in the tropical Jamaican air as Santa Claus and Dolly Parton finished off the last few bites of the delectable wine- and rum-soaked Jamaican holiday fruitcake.
"Santa, are you sure we got to everybody? I mean, the night just went so fast," Dolly asked sleepily back onboard Santa's sleigh. She had dozed off for a few minutes and had awakened to see her beloved Tennessee hills from 10,000 feet in the air. Home sweet home.
"Yes, Dolly. Every good girl and boy will wake up to find presents and books. They'll laugh and play and be happy on this cheery day!"
"Oh, good," Dolly sighed relievedly and closed her eyes for a moment against the draft of wind that blasted briefly in her face upon the sleigh's descent into Nashville....
"Dolly. Dolly. Baby, come to bed," Carl cajoled his wife and gently shook her shoulder. Dolly Parton opened her eyes to husband Carl's loving face and voice. She was lying on her own living room sofa. She must have fallen asleep when the fire went out, but no. No! Dolly shook her head. Suddenly she bolted upright. Santa Claus was here! She was about to start doubting her Christmas miracle - her trip around the world with Santa - when she saw it. Next to Carl's bare feet on the lush, white carpeted space between the couch and fireplace were two booted footprints made of ash. The same ash that Santa must have gotten on his boots when he stepped from Dolly's fireplace. Yep, Santa had been here, she thought. It was all real.
Her heart full of love and good cheer, Dolly Parton was holding her husband's hand and climbing the stairs to their bedroom that very early Christmas morning when they heard the season's greetings coming from high above:
"Ho! Ho! Ho! Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!"
The sound of jingle bells was carried in the early morning Christmas wind over the hills of Tennessee. It jingled and jangled across Canada and into the snowy Arctic until Santa Claus and his team of reindeer flew over the horizon, home for Christmas Day.
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