Celebrity
How Mariah Carey Declared “It’s Time” For Christmas Season The Past 4 Years
After months of saying “not yet,” the Queen of Christmas confirmed you can start celebrating.
The Queen of Christmas has spoken. On Nov. 1, Mariah Carey announced that “it’s time” to start celebrating the holiday season after weeks and weeks of telling fans “not yet” on Twitter, in what has become an iconic annual tradition in pop culture. Taking to her Instagram, the five-time Grammy winner shared a video of her riding a Peloton bike dressed as a glamorous witch, with bats flying around her to count down the days until Halloween. As soon as Nov. 1 flashes, it cuts to Carey in a Santa outfit, declaring “it’s time” with a whistle note. The camera zooms out to reveal her sitting on a reindeer as her No. 1 hit “All I Want For Christmas Is You” starts playing.
“IT’S TIIIIIIIIME!!!!!!!!” she captioned the post, adding the hashtag #MariahSZN to claim her crown. This year, Carey will be celebrating the holidays by playing her first shows in nearly three years. In October, she announced her special Merry Christmas to All holiday concerts will be on Dec. 9 and 11 at Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena before heading to New York City’s Madison Square Garden on Dec. 13 and 16. Expect to hear Carey’s “repertoire of classic holiday songs” from her two Christmas albums, as well as a few of her non-holiday hits.
2019’s “It’s Time” Video
Carey started announcing the proper start of the holiday season in 2019, after jokingly getting frustrated when people would start playing her Christmas songs before Halloween. That year, she put a humorous spin on her announcement, laying in bed wearing a disheveled Tina Turner costume before waking up in Christmas pajamas.
2020’s “It’s Time” Video
In 2020, Carey built up to her announcement by tweeting “not yet” in response to fans wanting to start the celebrations early. On Nov. 1, she shared an Instagram video of an unnamed man in a serial killer costume haunting her bedroom door, which show bloody handprints and a “Not Yet” sign, only for him to find Carey sitting in front of a Christmas tree with her dogs in matching Santa pajamas. “It’s time,” she yells, throwing glitter across the room.
2021’s “It’s Time” Video
In 2021, Carey rang in the Christmas season by smashing pumpkins that were carved out with the words “It’s Not Time.” In classic Mariah fashion, she proceeds to destroy them with a candy cane baseball bat, before putting together her Christmas tree in a santa bodysuit.
At this point, Nov. 1 should be legally declared Mariah’s Day, when much like Punxsutawney Phil on Groundhog Day, Carey announces whether it’s time for Christmas or not. It’s only fitting for the Queen of Christmas.
