Mariah Carey is ushering in the holiday season in dramatic fashion, starring in a whimsical video where she confronts a mischievous elf (played by Billy Eichner) who claims the elves are on strike. The clip, posted on October 31, transitions to Carey in a glitzy Santa suit flying past the Statue of Liberty as her classic ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’ plays. The moment also coincides with her new holiday partnership with Sephora, marking the official start of “MariahSZN.”
And really, is it even the holiday season if Mariah Carey's ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’ isn’t echoing from radios, store speakers, and just about everywhere else?
The Christmas anthem, released in 1994, remains more popular than ever. It first entered the Billboard Hot 100 in 2017 before topping the charts in 2019. Carey reportedly earned around US$60 million in royalties from its initial release and continues to make about $3 million annually.
More than thirty years on, Mariah Carey is still the undisputed queen of Christmas—but how did she get there? Click through this gallery to uncover the story behind the holiday hit.