ONE SWEET DAY
Mariah’s Christmas obsession
Twenty-five years ago, Mariah Carey released her standout song All I Want For Christmas is You, which became one of the iconic tunes of the festive season. While there is much dispute, even in the Weekly office, about who reigns as the queen or king of Christmas music – is it perhaps Bing Crosby, Michael Bublé, Wham! or The Pogues? – Mariah has taken the title upon herself. She is, in a word, obsessed with Christmas.
She says it’s likely due to her “very dysfunctional” childhood. Growing up with divorced parents, siblings she is still estranged from and financial hardships, she found the festive season the most difficult and stressful time of the year.
She became determined to flip that on its head. “[As a child] I vowed in my own life I would make sure every Christmas was great. I want to make it magical for my kids,” she says.
Nowadays, her Christmas plans make it sound like she’s stepping into a magical carol.
“Christmas officially starts on the 23rd with my extended family,” she explains. “We’re not together, but Nick [Cannon, her ex-husband and the father of her twins] will usually come by. And usually we’re in Aspen. When I get off the plane, our drivers have All I Want For Christmas playing, we have hot cocoa and butterscotch schnapps. Then we’ll go through the woods on a two-horse open sleigh with blankets and real reindeer. It’s freezing cold but it’s beautiful and you’re looking at the stars. It’s an incredible moment I love every year.”
If this sounds extravagant, it may make more sense when you learn how much Mariah (49) earns from her love of Christmas. Every December since she released her hit song, it has raced up the charts. It’s estimated she makes more than $800,000 in royalties each year from that song alone.
Twenty-five years on, she says she’s still surprised by how beloved her hit tune is – especially as she took a lot of convincing to write the album. When her producers came to her in 1994 with the idea, she was originally not enthused.
“I felt like it was a little bit too early in my career to be doing a Christmas album,” she says. “And then I decided to do it. I just sat down, decorated a little tree and put on It’s a Wonderful Life and tried to get into that mood. Then I sat in this small room with a keyboard and started doing little melodies and stuff. I was going over all the things I think about at Christmas time that make me happy and how to turn it around and make it into a love song.”
And her best tip for enjoying the festive season? “Avoid the arguments! There are no fights on Christmas,” she says of the rules she lays down for her family. “You have to comply or you can get out of my house. You’re not invited if you’re going to cause any drama!”