Before Halloween parties were even over, Mariah Carey, the Queen of Christmas, had announced her return.
Just after midnight on Nov. 1, Carey dramatically declared, “It’s time!” for Christmas and the winter holiday season in a post uploaded to Instagram.
Her post included a black-and-white video of the songstress in a gothic mansion. Dressed as Morticia from “The Addams Family,” Carey dances the tango with a man dressed as Gomez Addams before abruptly pushing him away. Like the classic character, she then grabs a knife and launches it at her onscreen husband, narrowly missing, all before a wardrobe opens, revealing her now-iconic Santa-inspired fur-lined red catsuit. The next scene transitions to full color as Carey, now in a sleigh wearing the red catsuit, belts out “It’s time!” in her famed whistle-tone. Her Gomez is transformed into a snowman before the video closes on a scene of an icy magical Christmas palace and Carey’s perennial holiday hit “All I Want for Christmas” begins playing.
Carey, a staple of the winter holidays for many, has become known for her elaborate winter holiday season proclamations. So far, each one has outdone the year before. In 2023, Carey literally defrosted herself. This year, she teased her holiday season takeover in another video showing the music icon onboard a private plane. As the opening strains of her holiday hit play softly in the background, the flight’s captain announces they’re headed to the North Pole.
“Not yet,” Carey calls out before adding with a sly smile, “They always rush me.”
Since releasing her holiday single, “All I Want for Christmas,” in 1994, the song has grown into a mega-hit, becoming arguably one of the most popular contemporary Christmas classics. The song, turning 30 this year, reached No. 1 on the charts in 2019 and continues to top the charts each holiday season. It also continues to be a gift that keeps on giving; Forbes reported the single earns Carey roughly $2.5 million each year.
With that in mind, it’s no surprise Carey has managed to turn Christmas into a personal brand. Each year, she announces new partnerships with retailers, hosts an annual Christmas concert, and more.
Recommended Stories
This year, Carey is a brand partner with Kay Jewelers and Amazon. Her special edition Christmas Barbie is back from Mattel, and she announced a special holiday season collection of decor and wrapping paper during the holiday episode of Drew Barrymore’s eponymous talk show. According to an exclusive in People magazine, Carey has also teamed up with Virgin Hotels to create “All I Want for Christmas”-themed bars across the country.
The hotel brand has partnered with Bucket Listers to bring Mariah Carey’s Black Irish Holiday Bars to select cities, including Chicago, Dallas, New York City, Nashville, and New Orleans, starting Nov. 15 through Dec. 29.
There will also be holiday-themed displays with interactive activities, such as an oversized wreath where fans can recreate Carey’s “Magical Christmas Special” album cover or pen a note to the star in the “Letters to Mariah” station.
The pop-up spots will serve a range of cocktails made with the Queen of Christmas’ Irish cream liqueur. Festive drinks will include a candy cane-rimmed espresso martini and an Irish coffee sprinkled with edible flowers. Patrons will also have the option of a martini flight with a glitter and candy cane-topped white chocolate martini, a cinnamon-spiced tequila espresso martini, and a slated caramel bourbon martini.
Details, including how to attend, can be found on the pop-up’s official Instagram account, Mariah’s Holiday Bar.
