RUVEN AFANADOR for ElleMariah Carey is the undisputed Queen of Christmas, and there’s a reason she takes the holiday so seriously every year.
In a new cover story for Elle magazine, Mariah explains that her love of Christmas stems from not always experiencing cheerful holidays growing up.
“I think it’s just that longing that I had as a child, that I always wanted things to be perfect for the holidays. And they never were,” she tells the mag. “It was always somebody ruining the moment, always these dysfunctional family members who came around and foiled everything.”
She adds, “And so I just made a pact with myself that I wasn’t going to allow that to happen anymore. After I kind of emerged from my first relationship-slash-marriage, I created the Christmases that I wanted to have.”
This year’s holiday will look a little different due to COVID-19. Mariah says she’ll probably have to skip her usual visit to the tree at Rockefeller Center in New York City, but she’ll still bring cheer to others with her Apple TV+ special, Mariah Carey’s Magical Christmas Special, on December 4.
“I hope people feel festive when they watch this special, and I hope it helps in some way,” she says. “Just like any really good Christmas movie or song can lift your spirits, that was the goal here.”
To further get in the holiday spirit, Mariah played a holiday edition of Song Association with Elle, where she sings classics including sings “Joy to the World” and “Walking in a Winter Wonderland.”
By Andrea Tuccillo
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