Elvis Graceland loved Christmas more than anything. His cousin Billy spent every year with him at Graceland and remembers the joy, lavish gifts and pranks - and also one particularly emotional year.
Imagine spending your whole life with Elvis. Eight years his junior, Billy wasn't just a central member of the Memphis Mafia, he was also the star's cousin. They grew up together in Tupelo before both their families moved to Memphis. When The King began his rise to unimaginable fame and fortune, Billy lived nearby, and then actually on the grounds of Graceland. With his wife Jo, he has released a new video describing the extraordinary Christmases they all spent together, and the incredible simple, generous man behind the famous mask.
Elvis himself, however rich or famous he became, always retained his own wonder and delight in simple things, and Billy recalls one incredibly special Christmas in particular.
"I think one of my most memorable Christmases was in 1965, it was snowing to New Year's Eve. They said it was 50 years since it had snowed on Xmas Eve and it was beautiful, golly. We watched it snow for a while and he told everybody, ‘Don’t go out on the lawn, I don’t want footprints out there!
"We walked down to the curb and looked at it. He said, 'Man this is so pretty, don’t y’all think? I’ve always liked snow. I thought I got enough of it in Germany…'
"Just the look on his face, he went to clowning around, he said, ‘See I told you all I could do it, make it snow at Christmas!’
And, of course, then it was back to the house because Elvis liked nothing better than to lavish gifts on his nearest and dearest.
That first Graceland Christmas, Elvis famously gave each member of his entourage a crisp thousand-dollar bill. HIs generosity only grew with every year, although he also enjoyed a chance to prank everybody.
Jo recalled: "Elvis would have a stack of envelopes with Xmas bonuses as well as personal things. One year he gave out little certificates and said, 'This year has been a little tougher than every year but I hope you all enjoy this.’ He handed them all out first and when you opened them it was a little MacDonald's gift certificate for 50 cents. I thought (Elvis’ schoolfriend) George Klein would have a heart attack.
"He (Elvis) acted real serious, ‘Merry Christmas everybody, I appreciate all your gifts’… And then he started dying laughing…"
Jo added: "Then he came out with another stack with Christmas bonuses. He gave us a Christmas bonus every year I can ever remember. He wanted to make sure everybody had enough to see to their families. On top of that, he gave cars and different things. One time he gave me this beautiful yellow gold and diamond ring. It was beautiful. I could not take my eyes off it."
Priscilla Presley has described how a jeweller would come out to Graceland with gifts for everyone and, of course, Marie was lavished with gifts from the beautiful hot air balloon under a dome for her first Christmas to a golf cart from her father on his last Christmas in 1976.
Billy said: "You could never talk about Elvis’ generosity and not know that he was a giving man. He loved to give and see people’s reactions. He loved people. He gave from the heart. Regardless of what he gave, you couldn’t ask for a better present than that."
But what could anyone get the man who had everything, in return?
Jo said: "Everyone would gather around in the dining room and he would open up presents . Nobody would get him anything expensive because he had everything in the world. But the guys would get together and have special things made for him. One time, Red got him a humungous loaf of bread, French bread, longer than that coffee table. He thought that was hilarious.
"He would open every gift and make comments, but if you got your feelings hurt easy you might not want to be there because there was no telling what he would say…"
Christmas at Graceland remains a magical and emotionally charged experience, reflecting the deep connection that Elvis Presley had with the holiday season. The decision to restrict access to the lawn during Christmas, while rooted in a desire for privacy and reflection, underscores the complex emotions that this time of year held for the King. As Graceland continues to evolve its traditions, the legacy of Elvis Presley lives on, and the estate remains a place where fans can connect with the spirit of the King during the most wonderful time of the year.