Over the years, various pop stars have tried to “own” Christmas. There was Bing Crosby all the way back in 1942 with his recording of ‘White Christmas’ which has become a perennial ever since (and has been given an orchestral overhaul this year).
The Beatles did regular Christmas singles in the 1960s for their fan club members. Slade and Roy Wood attempted to make it a stomping and glam Christmas in the 1970s. And Wham! tried to stitch it all up with tinsel and tears in the 1980s with ‘Last Christmas’.
But one person now towers above them all – Mariah Carey, whose ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ came out in 1994 but has proven to be the festive season’s true sleeper hit by turning itself into an annual event in the download and streaming era. Not content with currently advertising Walkers crisps with a sync for that monster hit (i.e. ’All I Want For Crispmas Is You’) in the UK, she has launched a Mariah’s MustHaves partnership with Amazon, offering a bunch of “handpicked” Christmas gift selections.
The first things you see – somewhat unsurprisingly – on her list are Mariah Carey albums, books, figurines and films. But scroll down and her picks are less solipsistic. Well, apart from the Vahdam x Mariah Carey – Christmas Joy Tea Gift Set. Oh, and the Mariah Carey holiday onesies (“coming soon”). There’s a vintage-style turntable ($42.18), ideal for playing your Merry Christmas anniversary 180g coloured-vinyl LP ($19.91) on. There is also a Bluetooth-enabled vanity mirror (a snip at $389.99), a 32-inch butterfly kite, karaoke machines, diffusers and more.
And let’s not forget the Dapper Dog “curated dog subscription box” ($25.90). It’s like peeking inside Mariah’s head. It really is, as a marketing tie-in, delightfully perfect on absolutely every level. Truly it’s Mariah Carey’s Christmas; we just live in it.