Mariah Carey’s reign as the Queen of Christmas shows no signs of ending anytime soon. As the holiday season kicks into high gear, the singer is unsurprisingly at the center of the festivities.
This year marks the 30th anniversary of her iconic album Merry Christmas and its record-breaking single, “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” released in October 1994. The holiday anthem has climbed to the top of the Billboard charts for the sixth year in a row, cementing its status as the ultimate soundtrack of the season.
But that’s not all! On Dec. 25, Carey will headline the show opener for Netflix’s first-ever NFL Christmas Gameday. The diva will deliver a pre-taped performance of the iconic hit ahead of two marquee matchups: the Kansas City Chiefs vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens vs. the Houston Texans.
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Despite her holiday dominance, Carey has had to take health breaks, including the last-minute cancellation of her Dec. 11 show in Pittsburgh due to the flu.
But even a bout of illness couldn’t dull her sparkle. Here’s how the Queen of Christmas continues to spread her festive cheer.
Ushering in the season: ‘It’s time!’
For Carey’s fans, the holidays officially begin when she declares, “It’s time!” Since 2019, the singer has made the announcement through her now-annual videos, released each year on Nov. 1, to mark the transition from Halloween to Christmas.
In this year’s video, the singer appears in a dark, gothic castle dressed like Morticia Addams in a riff on The Addams Family before transforming into a sparkling version of Santa Claus surrounded by crystals, diamonds and a dancing snowman.
With each video, Carey brings her own flair and festive cheer, making them an essential part of the holiday countdown:
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2019: Carey, who is still in her Halloween costume, gets a call from Santa at midnight to signal the start of Christmas.
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2020: A Halloween creature opens a door to find Carey in Christmas pajamas, checking her watch and announcing, “It’s time.”
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2021: Carey smashes one of the pumpkins carved with each word of “It’s not time” before declaring the season officially underway.
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2022: The Grammy-winning artist rides an exercise bike that magically transforms into a reindeer.
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2023: Frozen in ice, Carey dramatically breaks free with her signature “It’s time!” as people — and her twins, Moroccan and Monroe — dance to her classic tune.
Mariah’s Christmas tour: High notes and hiccups
Carey is touring 20 cities across the U.S. with her “Mariah Carey’s Christmas Time,” tour, which kicked off on Nov. 6 in Highland, Calif., and is wrapping up on Dec. 17 in New York City. From sold-out arenas to a surprise appearance by her children in North Carolina, the tour celebrated 30 years of Carey’s reign on the holiday charts.
But even the Queen of Christmas isn’t immune to real-life setbacks. When Carey was forced to cancel her Dec. 11 show in Pittsburgh, citing a bout of the flu, she shared a heartfelt social media post
“Pittsburgh, I am sorry to say, I’ve come down with the flu,” the singer wrote. “It breaks my heart that I unfortunately have to cancel tonight’s show. I love you all so much.”
The last-minute announcement left many fans disappointed and frustrated.
“We didn’t get anything telling us that it was cancelled,” one family told WTAE in Pittsburgh. “We didn’t know until we arrived and we saw a paper you know when you get to the entry to get your ticket for it there was a paper taped on.”
Although the arena said in a statement that fans “will receive an email with refund options,” it did little to ease the inconvenience for some.
“We all got ready and got babysitters and paid for parking, we won’t get [our] money back for that,” one fan told WTAE.
A Netflix Christmas spectacle
Carey is bringing her holiday magic to Netflix’s first-ever NFL Christmas Gameday on Dec. 25, headlining the show opener in grand style.
The event marks a significant milestone as Netflix ventures into live sports streaming, and who better to usher in this new holiday tradition than the Queen of Christmas herself?
30 years of holiday magic
“All I Want for Christmas Is You” is now certified 16-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, making it the highest-certified single ever by a female artist, according to Variety. Originally released in 1994, the song has topped the Billboard Hot 100 for six consecutive years, accumulating a total of 15 weeks at No. 1 since 2019.
“I had absolutely no idea the impact the song would eventually have worldwide,” Carey told Billboard in 2021 about writing the hit single. “How could I? It was so early on in my career and most young artists, at that time, weren’t really making Christmas music at the onset of their careers.”
While now a staple of holiday playlists — though some argue it returns a little too early — the song had a surprisingly slow climb to success.
According to Billboard, it wasn’t certified gold (500,000 copies) until December 2005, a full 11 years after its release. Even then, it took an additional 14 years to achieve platinum status (1 million copies). Since then, however, it has become an unstoppable force, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 every holiday season.
Queen of Christmas
Carey’s connection to the holiday season remains unmatched. Her voice, her style and ability to tap into the nostalgia of Christmas have solidified her as a cultural icon.
As fans belt out “All I Want for Christmas Is You” for yet another year, one thing is clear: With her 30-year holiday legacy still growing, she could continue to reign as the Queen of Christmas for many seasons to come.
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