Mariah Carey has become so deeply associated with Christmas that the holiday season practically cues her annual “defrosting” memes — and the superstar is fully in on the joke.
For decades, the 56-year-old has embraced her role as the unofficial queen of Christmas, regularly speaking about her lifelong obsession with the holiday and the joy it brings her. That authentic love is part of why one of her earliest ideas – a simple melody she started tapping out on a small Casio keyboard in the early 1990s – became one of the most successful holiday songs ever recorded.
Despite her reputation for playfully acknowledging her own talent, even Carey has admitted she remains astonished by how massive 'All I Want for Christmas Is You' has become. “My goal was to do something timeless, so it didn’t feel like the nineties,” she once explained, noting that the song came from a place of genuine affection for the festive season. “I really, truly love the holidays. It’s not fake.”
Credit: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images.
A Christmas classic that became a money-making machine
Carey’s instincts paid off beyond anything she could have imagined. 'All I Want for Christmas Is You' is now officially the most streamed Christmas song of all time. Each December, it generates staggering royalties – estimated between £2 million ($2.6 million) and £3 million ($4 million) every year for the singer alone, The Sun reports.
The track debuted in 1994 as part of her album Merry Christmas, and by 2023, nearly three decades later, it was reported to have earned more than £75 million ($100 million) in total revenue. As Hugh Grant's character quips in About a Boy, if you manage to write a great Christmas song, you might never need to work another day in your life – and Carey is living proof of that sentiment.
A holiday season worthy of a diva
Carey doesn’t just sing about holiday magic; she lives it. She has described Christmas as the highlight of her year, explaining that she plans for the season long before December arrives.
Each year, she and her family head to Aspen – a snowy, storybook setting she calls her favourite place to celebrate. “We go on a sleigh ride with the kids and my extended family, I cook, Santa Claus comes over,” she has said. And in true Mariah fashion, she adds that she knows Santa personally. The celebrations often include live reindeer and an over-the-top atmosphere befitting someone long crowned the Queen of Christmas.
Mariah could live off of her Christmas earnings for the rest of her life. Credit: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images.
How her earnings compare to other festive giants
While Carey dominates the season, other classic Christmas hits also pull in significant royalties. Slade’s 'Merry Xmas Everybody' is estimated to earn between £500,000 ($660,000) and £1 million ($1.3 million) annually. Wham!’s 'Last Christmas' reportedly brings in £300,000 ($400,000) to £470,000 ($627,000) each year.
Christmas songs earn royalties whenever they’re streamed, played on the radio, featured in films or TV adverts, or used in public spaces. Exactly how the money is divided varies with each track’s publishing and songwriting agreements, but for Carey, the yearly windfall keeps growing – along with her status as the reigning soundtrack of the holiday season.