On her personal website, Dolly explained that she wrote "You Are My Christmas" for her brother, noting, "Randy was our Christmas baby. We used to cry for one of those walking, talking dolls when we were kids.... The year that Randy was born, around Christmas, Mama said 'Hey! We're got your own walking, talking doll. He actually cries tears. He pees real pee.' So he was like our Christmas baby and loved it." Randy was the eighth of the 12 Parton family's children, born to Robert and Avie Lee Parton, while Dolly was fourth.
Dolly went on to explain that she wanted Randy to sing with her on the song because they had sung so well together in the past on "Old Flames Can't Hold A Candle To You." On Facebook, Dolly said "You Are My Christmas" will "always be a favorite" and shared that the song was Randy's "last musical recording and he shined on it just like he's shining in heaven now."
According to The Tennessean, Randy Parton is survived by his wife, Deb; two children; and two grandchildren.
