With Halloween already fading into the mist behind us, the next major holiday season is ready to take over.
And there was no one better, or well-suited, to usher in the Christmas season than the legendary pop icon, Mariah Carey.
While the five-time Grammy Award-winning artist is known for her best-selling self-titled 1990 debut album Mariah and others like Music Box (1993), and Daydream (1995), there is one record that is at the top of everyone's list this time of year.
That perennial classic is 1994's Merry Christmas, which included covers of traditional favorites as well as original earworms such as "All I Want for Christmas Is You"–which went on to become one of the best-selling singles of all time.
She recently used the song on Instagram to officially announce:
"IT’S TIIIIIIIIME!!!!!!!!"
The brilliant clip started out in black and white featuring Carey decked in full-on witch garb.
But since this is 2022 and flying brooms are so passé, she has ditched the mode of transport in favor of a Peloton bike.
She pedaled through the eerie landscape on the stationary exercise bike with a basket in front–a nod to Margaret Hamilton's Almira Gulch and her counterpart, the wicked Witch of the West from the Wizard of Oz.
She menacingly cackled away as the creepy music suddenly transitioned into...this.
The blowing leaves gave way to gently falling snow, revealing the singer in the red and white Santa-inspired outfit she wore for the holiday album cover nearly 30 years ago.
As the celebratory "All I Want For Christmas Is You" played in the clip, Carey's signature high-pitched whistle register indicated it was finally time to inject some merriment and mirth into the world.
It's official, the Christmas Queen has arrived.
And with that, social media users lost it.
@mariahcarey/Instagram
@mariahcarey/Instagram
@mariahcarey/Instagram
@mariahcarey/Instagram
@mariahcarey/Instagram
@mariahcarey/Instagram
@mariahcarey/Instagram
Uproxx noted that the 1994 holiday favorite, “All I Want For Christmas Is You,” topped the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 1 during each of the past three seasons and in each of the past four separate years (2019 to 2022).
And with the song already appearing in the top 40 on iTunes as of November 1, there is no doubt Carey is here to stay for years to come.
