All I Want for Christmas is You by Mariah Carey was named Billboard’s Greatest Holiday Song of All Time in 2021, 27 years after its release in 1994. Although the song was put together in just 15 minutes, it has become a global hit. Since its charting on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart in 2000, it has grown exponentially in popularity, breaking multiple Guinness World Records and earning Carey the title, “The Queen of Christmas.”

All I Want for Christmas is You became even more prevalent after being featured in the 2003 film Love Actually and Carey has stayed mainstream since then through consistent advertisement. For example, she released a duet version of the song with Justin Bieber in 2011 and published deluxes of her Merry Christmas album. 

Each year since 2023, Carey has emerged on November 1 and sang her famous line, “It’s time.” The trend marks the beginning of the holiday season and the yearly reemergence of All I Want for Christmas is You.

Junior Oliwia Duma said, “It means that after Halloween, it’s finally time to prepare for Christmas.” This year, Carey continued the trend by preventing the elves from striking and cancelling Christmas in her YouTube video, which has climbed to 9.1 million views.

This line evolved into the Mariah Carey “defrosting” trend. The trend has become a quintessential part of meme culture on social media platforms as people joke that Carey “hibernates” until November each year. The movement began when social media users realized in 2017 that All I Want for Christmas is You scales the charts each year around November 1.

Junior Katherine Finn said, “I usually see it on TikTok and Instagram the most.” For example, the #itstime hashtag on Instagram has been used in 1.4 million reels throughout the years.  

All I Want for Christmas is You is largely regarded as an excellent song; it is tuneful and has a strong, cheerful beat. Production techniques such as voice layering and complex chords create a warm and smooth listening experience. Finn said, “it’s hard to listen to the song and not sing along. It’s such a catchy, upbeat song that it makes you want to sing.” 

Senior Arav Wadhwani added, “I like the wide vocal range the song exhibits, especially the impressive high note in the beginning.” Carey hits an A5, which is an exceptionally high note for singers. 

The song’s festivity is a significant reason for its resurgence each year and for the sense of nostalgia it brings forth. “It evokes a lot of Christmas memories. It makes me feel joyful and puts me in a happy Christmas mood,” Duma said.

All I Want for Christmas is You also expresses the universal belief that Christmas should not revolve around materialistic gifts. For instance, Wadhwani shared, “The most important part about the holiday season is definitely spending it with the people you love. My brother usually comes home at this time, so we go over to Long Island and spend the holiday with my grandparents and uncles. I also occasionally do some gift exchanges with my friends to show some gratitude we have for each other’s friendship.” 

The question of whether All I Want for Christmas is You is truly the greatest holiday song of all time is up for debate. Despite the popularity of Carey’s song, tradition is still an important part of Christmas. Duma said, “I feel like there are better Christmas songs, but I do think hers is the most well-known.” 

Wadhwani also feels that the song is overplayed. “During the holiday season I hear that song the most. Sometimes I think I hear it too much,” he said. 

Despite this, Finn declared that “no matter how many years, no matter how many people say [All I Want for Christmas is You] is overplayed, it always comes back and manages to stay at the forefront of Christmas.”