Halloween is over. That can mean only one thing: Mariah Carey has arisen from her slumber and you will be hearing “All I Want for Christmas is You” from available speakers from now until 2024.
On Nov. 1, Carey released an Instagram video of herself being defrosted from a giant block of ice by an assortment of Halloween characters, then emerging in her finest Christmas attire alongside her twins, Monroe and Moroccan, as her 1994 yuletide anthem blasts.
This is all part of the 54-year-old singer’s now-yearly tradition of announcing her everlasting presence as the self-appointed “Queen of Christmas,” due to her tune’s enduring popularity, almost 30 years after its release.
“All I Want for Christmas Is You” reemerged as an all-consuming holiday hit in December 2017 when it reached Billboard’s Hot 100 and climbed to the top five of the charts in December 2018. The song has risen to the No. 1 spot on the charts every holiday season since 2019, with an impressive 12-week reign as the champion in 2022.
Last year, the Grammy winner heralded the holiday staple by posting a social media video in which she transformed from a chortling Wiccan on an exercise bike to a reindeer rider dressed a la Mrs. Claus.
In October, Carey announced her Merry Christmas One and All! tour, which includes several stops in the United States and Canada. The seasonal concert series kicked off Wednesday in Highland, Calif., followed by a show Friday at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles.
After launching her Christmas tour in California, Carey is slated to travel to various cities in the U.S. and Canada before ending her holiday concert series at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Dec. 17.
In a December 2020 interview with the L.A. Times, Carey reflected on her experience co-writing the tune with longtime collaborator Walter Afanasieff, recalling the moment the infectious melody just “kind of popped out” of her.
“We wanted it to feel classic,” Carey told the L.A. Times.
“I didn’t want it to feel ’90s. It probably feels ’90s now to people who are nostalgic about the ’90s. But in the ’90s, it was something different. … I wanted it to be timeless. And to feel festive. … We were having the best time in the studio. It sounds corny, but I think you can hear it on the record.”
