Dolly Parton finds writing Christmas songs more challenging than anything else she’s done in her career.

The country legend has three holiday albums to her name, including her collaboration with Kenny Rogers, Once Upon a Christmas, released in 1984, plus solo efforts Home For Christmas (1990) and 2020 release, A Holly Dolly Christmas.

Alongside her latest release, she also penned and starred in Netflix movie musical Christmas on the Square – which she admits was a daunting task due to the pressures surrounding writing holiday songs.

“I think every songwriter wants to write songs that can become Christmas classics,” she tells Music Week. “You always think that everything that you can write about Christmas has already been done, so it’s really different trying to write a good song, a commercial song, but also something that might stand the test of time.

“I really had to focus, more than I do when I just sit down to write whatever I feel, or if I’ve been commissioned to do a song for a movie or TV show. I’m hoping that I’ll have a few on this album that will play year-in, year-out, and as new recordings by other artists.”

She goes on to share that she decided 2020 was the year to release a new Christmas record because she believes spirits needed lifting amid the pandemic.

“One of the reasons is it’s such a good time for it right now, because of all the lunacy that’s been going on [this year]. So it seemed like a really good time to lift people’s spirits, and lift my own as well, because I had such a good time doing it.

“And, also, I had a chance to work with so many wonderful artists and friends of mine.”

A Holly Dolly Christmas features collaborations with the likes of Michael Buble, Miley Cyrus, Billy Ray Cyrus, Jimmy Fallon, and her brother Randy Parton.

Dolly didn’t set out to create a duets album but, reflecting on the end product, she admits she’s “just really proud to have… all kinds of friends and family on there. It turned out really well.”