Back in 2012, country singer Blake Shelton teamed up with his mother, Dorothy Shackleford, for a duet of the Christmas song “Time for Me to Come Home” off Shelton’s 2013 holiday album, Cheers, It’s Christmas.
Interestingly, the song was written by the mother and son tandem. “Blake was writing the song for his Christmas album and said he needed help with the second verse,” Shackleford recalled. “So I came up with the second verse, and that’s how the song was born.”
Shelton revealed that his mom, a beauty shop owner, did not need much persuading to help him out on the album. In fact, she was really excited that they will be writing a song together “because she’s always coming up with song ideas.”
And since “Time for Me to Come Home” is also more or less “about the relationship between a kid and his mom,” Shelton asked her mom to sing the song with him.
“That thrilled me, but at the same time, it made me very nervous because I’m not a great singer,” Shackleford admitted. “I just about passed out … but somehow I got through it.”
The Song Was More Than A Commercial Success
Following the song’s release, Shackleford teamed up with author Travis Thrasher to transform the lyrics into a novel inspired by actual holiday memories with her country superstar son. In 2018, the song was also turned into a Hallmark Christmas movie, Time for Me to Come Home for Christmas.
Shelton executive produced the film. It tells the tale of a big-time music star named Heath (Josh Henderson) who found himself stranded in Chicago during the holidays with a small-town girl, Cara (Megan Park). Despite his fame, Cara has no idea who Heath is. While they were both heading back to Oklahoma, a connection sparked between the two.
“Heath has some of Blake’s personality,” Shackleford said. “He’s a little witty, and he’s a nice guy. Heath’s father has passed, and Blake’s father has passed in real life. There are bits and pieces of Blake in it. But [it’s] mostly all fiction.”
Since then, Shelton produced another film, Time for You to Come Home for Christmas in 2019, and now, eight years after the song’s release, fans get to enjoy the third film in the sequel, Time for Us to Come Home for Christmas.
It starred Lacey Chabert and Stephen Huszar, and it debuted on Saturday, December 5. The film mixes Hallmark’s signature romance with a hint of mystery with its plot that follows five guests – all of them were secretly invited to the same inn. Sarah (Lacey Chabert) sets out to solve the mystery and discover what connects her and the other guests.
Indeed, the song “Time for Me to Come Home” is more than just a commercial success.
“Now it’s Christmas, Christmas. I’m hurrying’ on my way. Christmas, Christmas, like I’m riding in a one-horse sleigh. Well, I don’t have to hear no jingle bells, just the ringing of the phone. Mama just called and said it’s time for me to come home,” it goes.
You can listen to Shelton and his mom’s duet of the Christmas song in the video below.
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Blake Shelton, Dorothy Shackleford