Blake Shelton & His Mom Dorothy Turn a Simple Christmas Song into a Holiday Legacy

With a proud grin and a twinkle in his eye, Blake Shelton turned to the crowd and beamed, “This is my mom, everybody!” And with that, Dorothy Shelton—cowboy hat and all—stepped into the spotlight. Under the soft glow of the stage lights and the tender strum of Blake’s guitar, the mother-son duo shared more than a performance; they shared a memory.

As they sang “Time for Me to Come Home,” a song they co-wrote over a decade ago, their voices blended with the kind of harmony only family can create. The crowd fell silent—caught in a moment that felt less like a concert and more like sitting beside a warm fire, listening to two hearts speak in song. By the final note, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house.

🌟 From Humble Lyrics to Holiday Tradition

It turns out moms really do know best.

Back in 2012, when Blake Shelton was putting together his holiday album Cheers, It’s Christmas, he invited his mom, Dorothy Shackleford, to co-write a song. She’d spent years tossing him songwriting ideas—and Blake finally saw the perfect opportunity to give her a shot at something more.

“I told her, ‘Let’s write a song together, and you can sing it with me on the album. There’s your Lucille Ball moment,’” Blake said during a special From Apple Music With Love session, recorded alongside his wife Gwen Stefani. “You can finally be famous.”

And just like that, “Time for Me to Come Home” was born—a gentle ballad about a son getting a call from his mom, reminding him to come home for Christmas. A simple message. A universal truth. A little piece of holiday magic.

📚 From Song to Book… to Hallmark Stardom?

Blake figured the song would be a sweet, one-time moment. What he didn’t expect? That it would spark an entire franchise.

“We had no idea it was going to end up turning into a book deal for my mom,” he said with a laugh. But that’s exactly what happened. Dorothy co-wrote a novel based on the song with author Travis Thrasher, published in 2013.

Then Hallmark came calling.

The network adapted the story into a made-for-TV movie, Time for Me to Come Home for Christmas, in 2018. And fans couldn’t get enough. The success of that first film snowballed into a seasonal series:

• Time for You to Come Home for Christmas (2019)

• Time for Us to Come Home for Christmas (2020)

• Time for Them to Come Home for Christmas (2021)

Each movie told a different story, but the heart remained the same—returning home, finding love, and cherishing the people who matter most.

💬 A Son’s Pride, A Mother’s Moment

Blake still sounds a little amazed by the whole thing.

“It’s amazing what they’re able to do over there,” he says of Hallmark, “but it’s been a cool experience to have that with my mom.”

For a woman who spent years quietly supporting her son’s rise to country stardom, Dorothy Shackleford’s moment in the spotlight was well-earned—and well-loved.

Now, every holiday season, as fans cozy up to watch those heartwarming Hallmark movies or replay that tender live performance, they’re reminded of something timeless:

Sometimes, all it takes is a phone call from Mom—and a song from the heart—to bring you home.