Christmas came early to Dolly Parton fans in Boston last Thursday night (Dec. 5), when the country superstar made a surprise appearance at the city's tree lighting ceremony. Press play above to watch Parton bring an extra touch of holiday magic to the special evening!

The singer was in town for the opening performance of her new musical, Dolly Parton's Smoky Mountain Christmas Carol, which premiered in Boston's Emerson Colonial Theatre.   After stopping by the Christmas tree lighting ceremony to wish the crowd gathered there a happy holidays, Parton headed over to the theatre, where she made another surprise appearance. According to The Boston Globe, the singer drew shock and delight from the audience when she appeared in a Santa-inspired dress.

"This has been a dream in the making for a few years," Parton explained (quote via The Boston Globe.) "I'm going to actually get to sit and watch the show for the first time with you tonight. So I'll be sitting down there, so don't you bother me, because I'm going to watch the show."

Dolly Parton's Smoky Mountain Christmas Carol recasts Charles Dickens' holiday classic in the Great Smoky Mountains, re-imagining Ebenezer Scrooge as the owner of a coal mining town during the Great Depression. Per Playbill, the story was adapted from a book by David H. Bell, directed by Curt Wollan and produced by Paul T. Couch. Of course, the score comes from Parton herself.

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