Mariah Carey's family 'mess' made her determined to perfect Christmas for twins

17 December 2023 , 07:00

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Mariah Carey is the undebatable Queen of Christmas (Image: Apple TV/Everett/REX/Shutterstock)

Mariah Carey is synonymous with Christmas thanks to her mega-hit All I Want For Christmas Is You. And almost 30 years on from its release, her festive spirit is still as strong as ever – with Mariah admitting she’ll never get tired of singing the seasonal staple.

“I really do love Christmas and I love the holidays,” the 54-year-old says. “The magic is still real for me, and the song is part of that. I sing it from the heart every time.”

While Mariah is affectionately known as the Queen of Christmas to many, it hasn’t always been a happy time for the singer. She explains Christmas was “a mess” during her childhood after growing up in a “dysfunctional family”, which is why she was so determined to change that.

From decorating her multiple trees to indulging in festive food, Mariah enjoys all the classic traditions. And she’s also started a new tradition with her own family, taking her 12-year-old twins Moroccan and Monroe to Aspen, Colorado, every year to experience a white Christmas.

“To see snow at Christmas is the greatest joy,” she explains. “It costs money to get to places with snow if you don’t live in one, and we never take that for granted.”

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Mariah Carey launching her Christmas album in New York in 1994 (Startraks/REX/Shutterstock)

Mariah Carey performs onstage during her 'All I Want For Christmas Is You' tour at Madison Square Garden on December 15, 2019 (Getty Images for MC)

It’s clearly important that her children, who she shares with ex-husband Nick Cannon, get to embrace the magic of the festive period. And this year, they also joined her on the road for her Merry Christmas One And All! tour.

Here, Mariah opens up about her son and daughter following in her footsteps, releasing new music and the making of her most famous song…

Hi, Mariah! You’re always so busy at this time of the year. Why is it so important for you to share Christmas with your fans?

Because growing up, I always wanted Christmases to be perfect, like you see in the movies. But I had quite a dysfunctional family, so it was always a mess. But I never gave up hoping. And then, at a certain point when I was able to control what my holidays would be like, I started to create my idea of a perfect Christmas and to share it with as many people as I could. My fans are a huge part of my Christmas. I have learnt that nothing is perfect, but I can try to reach out and help share the merriest of Christmases with everyone.

How do you feel about being known as the Queen of Christmas?

It’s cute, but I never did crown myself that. I’m not the Queen of Christmas but it’s fun that people might call me that. It’s flattering.

When does your Christmas tree go up?

My Christmas trees – plural – go up early and stay up for a long, long time. Christmas trees are a big part of the magic for me.

Mariah's iconic All I Want For Christmas Is You hit

And what’s your favourite food to have at Christmas?

I love it all. Who doesn’t? My new thing this year is butterscotch pudding. I had it at a restaurant and it was so good that I was like, “I have to get the recipe for that!” So that’s new on the menu this Christmas.

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You go to Aspen every Christmas. When did that tradition start?

It started years ago, as soon as I was able and could afford to make decisions like that on my own. It feels like home there to me now. It’s been so long. We have the same decorations every year, we do the same things, listen to the same Christmas playlist, although I do tweak it a little every year. But the snow is the biggest thing. I have to have snow at Christmas.

Your hit song All I Want For Christmas Is You has become an annual festive favourite all around the world. How does that feel?

I feel really grateful and very proud. All I Want For Christmas Is You was the first Christmas song I ever wrote and, of course, I had no idea it would be so long-lasting. When we recorded it, I wanted it to sound like a classic Christmas song in the way many of them are timeless.
I was so happy when it became a hit first time out, but for it to come back again and again and to become truly timeless is just incredible.

Next year will be its 30th anniversary. What do you remember most about writing it?

I remember working on it a lot by myself, just sitting there writing with my little Casio keyboard. It really just started with me thinking about Christmas and what it means to me. What do I love? What do I want? What do I dream of? That’s where the song started.

You have just completed your Merry Christmas One And All! tour. Can you tell us a bit more about that?

I was so excited about it. We did it live last year but we didn’t go across the country. This year we did that. We went across the US and Canada. I am so happy to be able to celebrate Christmas with so many fans. It was Christmas magic. It was a Christmas potpourri of songs.

Your two children Moroccan and Monroe joined you on stage too…

They were with me and they were part of the show. There were various moments of music and merriment that they were part of.

Do you think either of them will follow in your footsteps as musical stars?

I don’t know. In some ways I hope they do but in some ways I’m not so sure. But they are both really talented at so many things. I couldn’t be more proud of them.

Finally, can we expect to hear any new music from you?

I can say that yes, there is new music on the horizon. I have been writing new songs and we have been in the studio recording. I’m really excited about it, and I can’t wait for everyone to hear it.

Mariah’s hit single, It’s A Wrap, has been re-released and is available now

Sally James