<p id=”par-1_57″><a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/elvis-presley/”>Elvis Presley</a>‘s legendary generosity was displayed even further during <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/graceland-christmas-5-holiday-traditions-elvis-presley-iconic-home.html/?swcfpc=1″>the Christmas season</a>. And, there was no person he loved to spoil more than his only daughter, Lisa Marie Presley. In the winter of 1976, Elvis gifted his eight-year-old daughter a wildly extravagant present that remained a favorite throughout her childhood and defined the <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/elvis-presley-67-year-old-item-defines-graceland-holiday-magic.html/?swcfpc=1″>magic of the holiday</a>.</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-elvis-presley-stunned-lisa-marie-with-a-custom-made-gift”>Elvis Presley stunned Lisa Marie with a custom-made gift</h2>
<p id=”par-2_41″>Elvis Presley treated Christmas 1976 like any other. He committed to making the season merry and bright for his family and friends. But there was one person he was determined to ensure had the merriest Christmas, his daughter Lisa Marie Presley.</p>
<p id=”par-3_38″>During Christmas of ‘76, Elvis bought Lisa her very own baby blue Harley Davidson golf cart. It was customized with her name across the side and would be the last Christmas present he would ever purchase for her.</p>
<p id=”par-4_40″>In the book <em><a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/lisa-marie-presley-memoir-three-explosive-revelations-life-priscilla-presley.html/?swcfpc=1″>From Here to the Great Unknown</a></em>, Riley Keough shared her mother Lisa’s recollection of the day she received the treasured gift. Elvis had a golf cart, so gifting his daughter her own held great meaning to Lisa.</p>
<p id=”par-5_36″>“Me and my friends would tear the lawn up with them,” Lisa recalled. “Full-on demolition derby all day long. I would drive one full-speed through a fence and the next morning, it looked like nothing happened,”</p>
<p id=”par-6_49″>She said the golf cart was her first taste of freedom, and she spent hours riding around Graceland’s 13.8 acres. Lisa admitted that she also used the cart to retaliate against others. “I used to run over people’s feet with the golf cart and take off,” she explained. </p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-lisa-marie-carried-her-golf-cart-key-with-her-everywhere”>Lisa Marie carried her golf cart key with her everywhere</h2>
<blockquote class=”instagram-media” data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink=”https://www.instagram.com/p/C_v8EuwRdON/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading” data-instgrm-version=”14″ style=”background:#FFF;border:0;border-radius:3px;margin: 1px;max-width:540px;min-width:326px;padding:0;width:99.375%;width:-webkit-calc(100% – 2px);width:calc(100% – 2px)”><div style=”padding:16px”> <a href=”https://www.instagram.com/p/C_v8EuwRdON/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading” style=”background:#FFFFFF;line-height:0;padding:0 0;text-align:center;text-decoration:none;width:100%” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”> <div style=”flex-direction: row;align-items: center”> <div style=”background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 50%;flex-grow: 0;height: 40px;margin-right: 14px;width: 40px”></div> <div style=”flex-direction: column;flex-grow: 1;justify-content: center”> <div style=”background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;margin-bottom: 6px;width: 100px”></div> <div style=”background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;width: 60px”></div></div></div><div style=”padding: 19% 0″></div> <div style=”height:50px;margin:0 auto 12px;width:50px”></div><div style=”padding-top: 8px”> <div style=”color:#3897f0;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-weight:550;line-height:18px”>View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style=”padding: 12.5% 0″></div> <div style=”flex-direction: row;margin-bottom: 14px;align-items: center”><div> <div style=”background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 50%;height: 12.5px;width: 12.5px”></div> <div style=”background-color: #F4F4F4;height: 12.5px;width: 12.5px;flex-grow: 0;margin-right: 14px;margin-left: 2px”></div> <div style=”background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 50%;height: 12.5px;width: 12.5px”></div></div><div style=”margin-left: 8px”> <div style=”background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 50%;flex-grow: 0;height: 20px;width: 20px”></div> <div style=”width: 0;height: 0;border-top: 2px solid transparent;border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4;border-bottom: 2px solid transparent”></div></div><div style=”margin-left: auto”> <div style=”width: 0px;border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4;border-right: 8px solid transparent”></div> <div style=”background-color: #F4F4F4;flex-grow: 0;height: 12px;width: 16px”></div> <div style=”width: 0;height: 0;border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4;border-left: 8px solid transparent”></div></div></div> <div style=”flex-direction: column;flex-grow: 1;justify-content: center;margin-bottom: 24px”> <div style=”background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;margin-bottom: 6px;width: 224px”></div> <div style=”background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;width: 144px”></div></div></a><p style=”color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:17px;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:8px;overflow:hidden;padding:8px 0 7px;text-align:center”><a href=”https://www.instagram.com/p/C_v8EuwRdON/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading” style=”color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;line-height:17px;text-decoration:none” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>A post shared by Riley Keough (@rileykeough)</a></p></div></blockquote>
<p id=”par-7_39″>In 2012, Lisa Marie Presley discussed her favorite gift from Elvis Presley to promote the exhibit “Elvis Through His Daughter’s Eyes.” In an interview published by <a href=”https://www.dispatch.com/story/entertainment/2012/02/01/lisa-marie-presley-talks-about/23397488007/” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>The Columbus Dispatch</a>, Lisa Marie discussed the exhibit focused on her childhood items.</p>
<p id=”par-8_36″>Lisa admitted one of her favorite items in the exhibit was the golf cart key. She said it helped her recall times with her father when they would ride around the home’s grounds and Memphis. </p>
<p id=”par-9_34″>“That was my life,” she admitted. “I carried it everywhere. It was never far from me or not on my person when I was a child. I hadn’t seen it in 35 years.” </p>
<p id=”par-10_50″>In the 2012 documentary <em>Elvis by the Presleys</em>, Lisa Marie discussed seeing her golf cart key on display at Graceland. “The thing that struck me the most when I walked in was seeing my golf cart key. And it’s just completely worn out. That was the key to my life.”</p>
<p id=”par-11_66″>She continued, “I hadn’t seen it in probably thirty years. It was sort of the key to my freedom, my demons, and my friends, and having fun when I was here was to get the key to my own golf cart. You can barely understand that it says my name on it because I just wore it out. It was always on me at all times.”</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-elvis-presley-s-lavish-gift-continued-to-influence-lisa-as-a-mother”>Elvis Presley’s lavish gift continued to influence Lisa as a mother</h2>
<blockquote class=”instagram-media” data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink=”https://www.instagram.com/p/C0aWw-kidWd/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading” data-instgrm-version=”14″ style=”background:#FFF;border:0;border-radius:3px;margin: 1px;max-width:540px;min-width:326px;padding:0;width:99.375%;width:-webkit-calc(100% – 2px);width:calc(100% – 2px)”><div style=”padding:16px”> <a href=”https://www.instagram.com/p/C0aWw-kidWd/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading” style=”background:#FFFFFF;line-height:0;padding:0 0;text-align:center;text-decoration:none;width:100%” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”> <div style=”flex-direction: row;align-items: center”> <div style=”background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 50%;flex-grow: 0;height: 40px;margin-right: 14px;width: 40px”></div> <div style=”flex-direction: column;flex-grow: 1;justify-content: center”> <div style=”background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;margin-bottom: 6px;width: 100px”></div> <div style=”background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;width: 60px”></div></div></div><div style=”padding: 19% 0″></div> <div style=”height:50px;margin:0 auto 12px;width:50px”></div><div style=”padding-top: 8px”> <div style=”color:#3897f0;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-weight:550;line-height:18px”>View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style=”padding: 12.5% 0″></div> <div style=”flex-direction: row;margin-bottom: 14px;align-items: center”><div> <div style=”background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 50%;height: 12.5px;width: 12.5px”></div> <div style=”background-color: #F4F4F4;height: 12.5px;width: 12.5px;flex-grow: 0;margin-right: 14px;margin-left: 2px”></div> <div style=”background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 50%;height: 12.5px;width: 12.5px”></div></div><div style=”margin-left: 8px”> <div style=”background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 50%;flex-grow: 0;height: 20px;width: 20px”></div> <div style=”width: 0;height: 0;border-top: 2px solid transparent;border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4;border-bottom: 2px solid transparent”></div></div><div style=”margin-left: auto”> <div style=”width: 0px;border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4;border-right: 8px solid transparent”></div> <div style=”background-color: #F4F4F4;flex-grow: 0;height: 12px;width: 16px”></div> <div style=”width: 0;height: 0;border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4;border-left: 8px solid transparent”></div></div></div> <div style=”flex-direction: column;flex-grow: 1;justify-content: center;margin-bottom: 24px”> <div style=”background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;margin-bottom: 6px;width: 224px”></div> <div style=”background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;width: 144px”></div></div></a><p style=”color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:17px;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:8px;overflow:hidden;padding:8px 0 7px;text-align:center”><a href=”https://www.instagram.com/p/C0aWw-kidWd/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading” style=”color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;line-height:17px;text-decoration:none” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>A post shared by MTV (@mtv)</a></p></div></blockquote>
<p id=”par-12_43″>When she became a mother to Riley and Benjamin Keough, and to twins Harper and Vivienne Lockwood, Lisa Marie continued to visit Graceland and ride golf carts with her children. Riley discussed these visits in the book <em>From Here to the Great Unknown</em>.</p>
<p id=”par-13_36″>She wrote, “For many years, Elvis’s original chefs would cook for us when we were at Graceland. My mom would have them <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/elvis-presley-traditional-foods-ate-christmas-graceland.html/?swcfpc=1″>cook everything she loved</a>, all the things she ate with her dad growing up.”</p>
<p id=”par-14_48″>“Fried chicken and catfish, hush puppies, and greens, banana pudding. When we’d come to town, the staff would always have our golf carts waiting and after dinner, we’d go outside and wreak havoc on the lawns; we barely ever drove on the roads. This was a family tradition.”</p>
<p id=”par-15_50″>Riley concluded, “Billy Idol once came to Graceland and my mom was ecstatic about it. She and Billy were off somewhere together on the grounds, but suddenly my mom went running in breathless. ‘I just accidentally flug Billy Idol off the back of my golf cart,’ she said, laughing hysterically.”</p>
<p id=”par-16_46″>In 2023, the family golf carts were utilized during the NBC special <em>Christmas at Graceland</em>. Riley picked up Post Malone in a golf cart and drove him to her grandfather’s pool, where the singer played “(You’re the) Devil in Disguise” on a platform placed on top of the water.</p>
<p id=”par-17_25″>Lisa Marie’s golf cart and her precious key remain on display at Graceland. Elvis Presley died in August 1977. Lisa Marie died in January 2023.</p>