Mariah Carey: Mary is the Real Queen of Christmas

Mariah Carey hailed the Blessed Virgin Mary as the real “Queen of Christmas” when addressing her popularized label which the singer claims to have rejected.

Carey the “Queen of Christmas” label has been an ongoing controversy ever since her hit 1994 song “All I Want for Christmas” became a seasonal classic, with fans  debating whether Carey deserves the honor or other singers like Darlene Love or Elizabeth Chan.

Speaking on the Zoe Ball Breakfast Show, Carey said she never felt comfortable with the label.

“That was other people, and I just want to humbly say that I don’t consider myself that,” she said.

Mariah Carey performs onstage during Mariah Carey’s Christmas Time Tour Kick Off at Yaamava’ Resort & Casino at San Manuel on November 06, 2024 in Highland, California. (Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Mariah Carey)

Carey described herself as someone who loves Christmas and gave the honorary title to the Virgin Mary, Mother of Jesus Christ.

“I’m someone that loves Christmas, that happened to be blessed to write ‘All I want For Christmas Is You.’ And a lot of other Christmas songs. And let’s face it, you know, everybody’s faith is what it is. But to me, Mary is the Queen of Christmas,” she said.

Controversy erupted in 2021 when Carey’s company, Lotion LLC, reported filed a trademark petition for the title “Queen of Christmas” along with terms like “Princess Christmas” and “QOC”  with the aim of using it on a range of products. The petition was later rejected by a trademark agency. As NPR reported at the time:

At least two other artists known for their seasonal songs publicly took issue with Carey laying claim to the throne: Darlene Love, who said David Letterman christened her Queen of Christmas nearly three decades ago, and Elizabeth Chan, who describes herself as “music’s only full-time Christmas singer-songwriter.”

Chan officially filed a motion in opposition to Carey’s request earlier this year, on the basis that she herself had repeatedly been dubbed the “Queen of Christmas” and already used the brand “Princess of Christmas” in connection with her young daughter.

Carey’s team stayed largely silent — legal filings show they filed several motions to extend proceedings in recent months, but did not file a response to Chan’s objection by the fall deadline. NPR has reached out to Carey’s publicist for comment.

The Trial Trademark and Appeal Board finally eventually made a “judgment by default” to reject the trademark request by Lotion LLC. Carey did not publicly comment on the controversy at the time, but she did at least show a willingness to share the title with other artists when she tagged Dolly Parton in a tweet calling her “The Queen of the World, The Queen of Christmas, The Queen of Mine!!”

Darlene Love publicly celebrated the trademark decision on Facebook. “Thank you, Lord!! Congrats to all the other Queen of Christmases around the world, living and whom have passed!” she wrote at the time.

WilmerHale, the law firm representing Elizabeth Chan, called the trademark rejection “a complete victory.”

“Mariah Carey’s company was engaged in classic trademark bullying: trying to monopolize the title ‘Queen of Christmas’ with a trademark registration,” said attorney Louis Tompros. “It’s important to stand up to bullies. That’s what we helped do here. Now, because of what Elizabeth did, nobody can claim exclusive and permanent rights to the ‘Queen of Christmas’ title.”

Paul Roland Bois directed the award-winning Christian tech thriller, EXEMPLUM, which has a 100% Rotten Tomatoes critic rating and can be viewed for FREE on YouTube, Tubi, or Fawesome TV. “Better than Killers of the Flower Moon,” wrote Mark Judge. “You haven’t seen a story like this before,” wrote Christian Toto. A high-quality, ad-free rental can also be streamed on Google Play, Vimeo on Demand, or YouTube Movies. Follow him on X @prolandfilms or Instagram @prolandfilms.