The Sad Reason Mariah Carey Is So Into Christmas Today

Mariah Carey is the queen of Christmas, and it all started with her 1994 holiday original song "All I Want For Christmas Is You." It has been over 25 years since the song was released, and it has topped the Billboard Hot 100 list multiple times — it has even been ranked as the greatest holiday song of all time on the Billboard Holiday 100.

It's hard to imagine Christmas without Carey. According to NME, the multiple Grammy winner recorded the hit title on a cheap Casio keyboard when she was 22 years old. The song is also associated with her tragic past — her marriage with her first husband and the CEO of Sony Music, Tommy Mottola. In her autobiography "The Meaning of Mariah Carey," released on September 29, 2020, the singer alleges that her ex-husband installed surveillance equipment in their mansion so he could watch her every move. The song turned out to be her escape. "I created the fun and free girl in my videos so that I could watch a version of myself be alive, live vicariously through her — the girl I pretended to be, the girl I wished was me," she writes in the book.

But that's not the only tragic Christmas story associated with Carey. The time of the year is special for her — evident for someone who has brought so much joy to many through her Christmas songs. However, the reason why Carey is so much into Christmas today is a sad one.

She had it all planned right from the beginning. In an interview with Mirror, Mariah Carey spoke about Christmas while growing up — and the experience was often quite challenging. "I always wanted Christmas to be perfect and looked forward to the holidays, but I had this incredibly dysfunctional family that would ruin it. Not my mom. She would try to make it fun," the singer revealed. "But we didn't have a lot of money, so sometimes she would wrap up fruit because it was all she could afford. I was like, 'When I grow up, I am never going to let that happen. I am going to make Christmas perfect, every year.'"

Carey also shared her thoughts on her new Christmas song, "Fall In Love At Christmas." When asked how the new song compared with the all-time favorite "All I Want For Christmas Is You," she said, "It's not a battle or anything like that. 'All I Want For Christmas' Is You is the first Christmas song that I ever wrote. Is it my favorite? Maybe, but I love all Christmas songs. I just love music and making music."

The mother of two, who is dating choreographer, teacher, and performer Bryan Tanaka, released a Christmas special titled "Mariah's Christmas: The Magic Continues" this year with Apple TV+ featuring Khalid and Kirk Franklin as guests. Clearly, Carey always knows how to bring the celebration.