Mariah Carey Season Is Officially Back!

With nearly 700,000 streams on Spotify on November 1, the festive classic officially starts gaining traction earlier than ever.

It seems the holiday season has arrived early – or at least for one timeless anthem. On November 1, Mariah Carey’s evergreen hit All I Want for Christmas Is You soared to nearly 700,000 streams on Spotify worldwide, marking a noticeable 8% increase compared with the same date in 2024. This uptick signals a fresh wave of festive listening, and fans are calling it the official return of “Mariah Carey season.”

According to streaming tracker sources, the daily stream total for the holiday classic reached approximately 687,554 plays on November 1, 2025. The 8% year-over-year increase suggests that audiences are embracing seasonal music earlier than ever – and nothing says “holiday kickoff” like Mariah’s chiming bells and joyous chorus.

Trend: Holiday Music Is Starting Earlier Each Year

Analytics firm ChartMetric reports that the spikes for holiday tracks are shifting forward. In 2022, it observed significant streaming increases beginning around November 12; by 2023 that moved to November 11, and in 2024 the trend pushed to November 9. This year’s early streaming jump for Mariah’s holiday anthem reinforces the idea that listeners are getting into the festive spirit sooner than in past years.

Streaming Milestones & Why This Matters

For context, “All I Want for Christmas Is You” has already broken major streaming records. According to multiple sources, the song became the first holiday track to surpass 2 billion streams on Spotify. Beyond the milestone, the track is also reported to have experienced a stunning 860% increase in global streams since the start of November in recent years – and a whopping 1,100% increase in the U.S. for the same period.

In other words: what may appear as just seasonal nostalgia is actually a streaming juggernaut. The early streaming surge confirms not only Mariah’s sustained relevance but also how the consumption of holiday music has evolved in the streaming era. Playlists, algorithmic boosting, and early festive moods are all contributing to the shift.

What’s Behind the Early Surge?

Several factors likely explain why Mariah’s holiday classic is gaining traction earlier each year:

• Streaming & playlist culture: Streaming platforms now feature dedicated holiday playlists – and as soon as November hits, “holiday mode” begins algorithmically.

• Audience behaviours: With more people listening to music at home and on devices year-round, the seasonal switch begins earlier. The streaming data supports this trend.

• Cross-generational appeal: While the song was released in 1994, younger listeners (including Gen Z) continue gravitating toward it. Experts say the track is now one of the top 3 holiday streams for Gen Z worldwide.
  

• Cultural momentum: As Mariah continues to embrace the title “Queen of Christmas,” her persona drives seasonal interest, promotional campaigns, and tour activity that all feed the stream numbers.

What This Means for Mariah Carey (and the Music Industry)

For Mariah Carey, this early streaming bump does more than just add numbers: it reinforces her dominance as the holiday season’s unrivalled soundtrack. It also shows that holiday music timing is changing – the “season” for festive songs is getting longer and starts sooner each year.

For the industry, this early lift demonstrates the power of streaming in re-shaping how and when we listen to music. What once was confined to December playlists, now begins in early November – and artists with seasonal hits are benefiting accordingly.

With nearly 700,000 daily streams logged on November 1 and a year-over-year increase of 8%, the data confirms what many fans suspected: Mariah Carey’s era has returned for another festive season. As we head into the holidays, expect the bells, the cheer, and the unmistakable voice of Mariah to sound ever louder – and earlier than ever.

So yes, the season is officially here. Let the holiday magic begin.