The King gave away cars (so many, many cars), jewellery and money throughout his life. This was the innate generosity of the boy who spent his first hard-earned wages to record a song for his mother Gladys. Nothing gave Elvis greater pleasure than seeing the joy of others and there was no time better than Christmas for him to lavish love and gifts on all of those around him. Priscilla later recalled: “He was so happy, he was like a child, it was his favourite time of the year.” SCROLL DOWN TO WATCH A BEHIND THE SCENES VIDEO OF CHRISTMAS AT GRACELAND INCLUDING FOOTAGE OF ELVIS WITH LISA MARIE
Elvis bought Graceland in 1957 when he was just 22 and his first Christmas there was bittersweet because he had just received his papers for military service, but he wasted no time in starting the lavish traditions that would continue throughout his life. Many of them are still followed at the Memphis mansion to this day.
Even now, all the drapes in the house are changed from blue to a rich red every year. The house is decorated just as it was then, with so many lights lining the driveway that the star’s father Vernon joked that incoming pilots might mistake it for the landing strip of the nearby airport.
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The whole house was decorated throughout, starting with a colourful Nativity scene in the front yard and Christmas wreaths at the stables. Graceland’s traditional Christmas decorations also include two trees – a white one in the living room and a green one in the dining room, poinsettias on the staircase and throughout the house, and decorations in the Pool Room and Jungle Room. Even the famous monkey in the pool room is given a makeover, with a Santa hat and a red bow.
The real Santa of this scene, of course, was The King, who gave everyone in his Memphis Mafia entourage a thousand-dollar bill on that first Christmas.
Priscilla said: “Christmas for Elvis wasn’t about receiving, it was always about giving. It was about seeing the reaction on people’s faces when he would give them things.”
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That year, Elvis gave her a large diamond ring – but not a formal engagement ring. That would have to wait another four years until he proposed to her just before Xmas in 1966.
In return, one of Elvis’ favourite Xmas gifts was the model car racing track that Priscilla gave him in 1965. He loved it so much he kept adding to it until it eventually needed its own room. A new extension was built which became the Trophy Room and also stored all his extraordinary array of gold and platinum discs.
Of course, once Lisa Marie was born in 1968, Elvis focussed all his attention on making Xmas magical for her. He would stay up until everyone had gone to bed to put his daughter’s gifts under tree and then excitedly wait “like a child” for her to wake up and discover everything laid out for her.
As Lisa Marie grew older, her gifts included a little fur coat, diamonds and even her own golf cart. Elvis would wake her late at night after everyone was asleep and they would race around the gardens. Lisa Marie recalled even crashing through fences, which would be “magically” repaired the next day.