Watch Mariah Carey’s Best Christmas Countdown Videos

It’s not Christmas until Mariah Carey says so. As soon as the clock struck midnight on Nov. 1, the pop star ushered in the holiday season with an over-the-top video, as she does every year.

Her latest festive announcement is quite the masterpiece — we truly have no notes. It opens with Carey encased in a giant ice block as several people wearing Halloween costumes use blow dryers to defrost her. She ultimately breaks free with the power of her high-pitched whistle tone, belting out, “It’s time!” to signal the start of Christmas. To the surprise of no one, Carey’s ubiquitous smash hit “All I Want For Christmas Is You” plays next while she dances in a Santa Claus outfit alongside her 12-year-old twins, Monroe and Moroccan.

Such videos have become an annual tradition for Carey. Last year, she took a similarly creative approach: after riding a stationary bike in a latex witch costume, she sang her signature phrase — “It’s time!” — and was suddenly transported to a winter wonderland filled with snow. In 2021, she used a giant candy cane to smash a pumpkin, and two years before that, she got a phone call from Santa himself at midnight on Nov. 1.

Carey’s Christmas countdown announcements date back as far as 2019, and they’ve gotten delightfully more extra over time. At first, they were charming at-home videos likely filmed on an iPhone, but now, they’re studio-grade productions with special effects and hired actors. At this point, she probably has a whole team dedicated to ideating, filming, and editing the videos. Would you expect anything less from the Queen of Christmas?

Carey will keep the Christmas vibes going this month when she embarks on her Merry Christmas One and All! tour across the US and Canada. She announced the holiday concert series on Instagram on Oct. 2, writing, “Yes, the actual defrosting has begun!” She has since added several more shows to the lineup due to high demand from fans.

Watch Carey’s hilarious Christmas countdown video for this year below, and keep reading to relive ones from years past and see how much they’ve evolved.