In 1994, Mariah Carey released “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” and three decades later, it remains an almost unavoidable holiday classic. Carey earns millions each winter and has earned the title of the Queen of Christmas. While she appreciates the love her fans show for the song, she prefers they don’t start streaming her hit too early. This year, she shared a video advising fans that it’s too soon for “All I Want for Christmas Is You.”
Mariah Carey says October is too early for her Christmas hit
Last year, on November 1, Carey posted a video declaring, “It’s… TIME!!!” In the video, she emerges from a block of ice dressed in a Santa Claus jumpsuit as “All I Want for Christmas Is You” plays. Such videos have become a beloved tradition for her.
Although she encourages fans to start celebrating Christmas nearly two months before the holiday, she draws the line at anything prior. This year, she posted a video on Instagram of herself relaxing on a plane as the opening notes of “All I Want for Christmas Is You” start to play. The pilot announces, “This is your captain speaking. Welcome aboard Mariah — we are headed to the North Pole.”
“Not yet!” Carey responds, playfully. “Sorry.”
She then turns to the camera and exclaims, “They always rush me.”
How much does Mariah Carey earn every Christmas?
Each year, countless people stream “All I Want for Christmas Is You” during the holiday season. In 2022, the song generated 2.181 million song consumption units in the United States alone. Billboard estimates that globally, the master recording brought in $5.3 million, along with $3.2 million from publishing.
This means she could potentially earn about $1.86 million in royalties and up to $1.59 million in publishing. In total, that could amount to over $3 million each holiday season. Despite the financial success of the song, Carey prefers not to hear it before November 1.
She initially hesitated to release a holiday album
Carey’s fourth studio album was a Christmas record, but she was initially reluctant to record it.
“The record company said, ‘You should do a Christmas album,’ and I thought, ‘I don’t know if I should at this point,’” she shared with Yahoo!. “I was very young and just starting out, and I felt like people usually make Christmas albums later in their careers.”
However, her apprehension quickly faded as she embraced the festive spirit.
“But now, people are making them right at the beginning of their careers,” she reflected. “I was a bit hesitant, but then I thought, ‘I love this,’ decorated the studio, and had the best time.”
