Why Dolly Parton Is OK With Mariah Carey’s “Queen of Christmas” Title

Don’t call Dolly Parton the “Queen of Christmas.”

While the “Hard Candy Christmas” singer has been known to go all out during the holiday season, she insists the true title belongs to the one-and-only Mariah Carey.

“I’m not going to compete with Mariah. I love her,” she told Better Homes & Gardens in the December issue, out Nov. 11. “You think of Christmas, you think of Mariah. I’m happy to be second in line to her.”

Mariah, of course, released her hit “All I Want for Christmas Is You” in 1994, which has become a Christmas standard and continues to surge in popularity each holiday season. While Dolly doesn’t want to take away from the Glitter star’s reign, she admits she’s at her personal and professional best during the festive season too.

“The holidays make me very creative, ’cause I’m happy,” Dolly said. “And I try to remember, and I draw from that, from that spirit of Christmas—the spirit is really about giving and tolerance, understanding and acceptance.”