Elvis Presley’s Cousin Reveals the 1 Christmas Gift That Went Straight Into His Upstairs Office
Elvis Presley‘s cousin, Danny Smith, discussed how Christmas was celebrated at Graceland. He maintained that the holiday season centered more on family and friends than flamboyant gift-giving. However, there was one gift that Elvis liked so much that it went straight upstairs to his private suite of rooms.
The King of Rock and Roll and the 1 Christmas gift that went straight into his inner sanctum
On his Memphis Mafia Kid YouTube channel, Danny Smith discussed purchasing Christmas gifts for Elvis. “Believe it or not, we bought him your normal stuff. One year, we were excited because we bought him a new recliner.”
“It was upstairs in his office,” he continued. “He kept it up there and used it.”
Despite Elvis’ legendary generosity toward those closest to him, Smith maintained that the Memphis Mafia gave Elvis gifts that were “normal” family presents.
But, while Elvis always enjoyed getting gifts from family and friends, he loved sharing his wealth even more. Smith admitted, “Elvis always loved to give rather than receive.”
However, there were times when Elvis did like to receive gifts. Particularly when they were as well thought out as one gift Linda Thompson bestowed on the King of Rock and Roll on Christmas Day.
Linda Thompson also surprised Elvis Presley with a gift he didn’t expect
In a YouTube post depicting her first Elvis Week, Elvis Presley’s ex-girlfriend Linda Thompson discussed one Christmas gift that shocked and delighted the King of Rock and Roll. Thompson told fans about the Maltese Cross she gifted Elvis, which included diamonds and their shared birthstones.
“I gave him the Maltese Cross, which he always wore in his shows. It was during our second Christmas together,” she explained.
“Not knowing that Elvis never did anything for himself, he would never indulge himself as much as he indulged others, I went to Lowell Hayes and told them I had this design for a beautiful Maltese Cross,” Thompson said.
She continued, “I went back to Graceland and said, ‘Honey, I want to buy you a nice Christmas present. But that means you’ll pay for it.”
“He said, ‘OK, how much are we talking about?’” and I said, “$25K. He said, ‘$25K?’ and I responded, ‘Yes, now doesn’t the real price of $8K sound better?”
“I got him the cross, and he absolutely adored it. He wore it to every show,” she concluded.
What was Christmas at Graceland like?
The official Graceland website shared even more details about how Elvis Presley spent his Christmas holidays at home in Memphis, Tennessee. “Elvis loved Christmas. It was his favorite time of year. The Presleys always put up their Christmas decorations early, and because Elvis so loved the season, decorations stayed up through his birthday on January 8.”
Traditionally, Graceland utilizes the same decorations purchased by Elvis when he lived there. These included Santa and his sleigh, a Nativity scene, and aluminum Christmas trees.
Eventually, the company Graceland leased the Nativity scene, and aluminum trees from each year went out of business. Graceland purchased the displays to ensure the continuation of Elvis’ holiday tradition.
Graceland’s traditional Christmas decorations include two Christmas trees in the living room and dining room, poinsettias on the staircase and throughout the house, and decorations in the Pool and Jungle Rooms.
