Mariah Carey's iconic Christmas anthem has finally hit number one – she'll always be the queen of Christmas

Mariah Carey – the Elusive Chanteuse herself – has achieved something that many never thought possible.

Twenty-five years after release (yup, that’s a quarter of a century) ‘All I Want For Christmas is You’ has hit the number 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time ever.

It’s a Christmas gift that’s been years (25 of them, to be precise) in the making, and Carey's fans, who are known as “lambs”, are thrilled.

The news that Carey’s Christmas hit has finally risen to a peak isn’t hugely surprising. Because no other artist has been able to use the internet – or Christmas – to their advantage quite like Carey. Almost everything she does memeable – even, and sometimes especially, if she gives a bad performance or bizarre interview.

But Mimi is much more than a meme – she’s a song-writing genius.

With her newest number one, she now has a tally of 19 US number ones. This puts her in front of Elvis Presley and just behind the Beatles in the all-time list. Lil Nas X’s ‘Old Town Road’ only just eclipsed her 1995 record for the single with the longest consecutive weeks at number one earlier this year.

Many of these songs, including iconic hits like ‘Hero’ and ‘We Belong Together’, were written by Carey herself. Christmas songs are notoriously difficult to write, and many haven’t aged well (‘Fairytale of New York’ and ‘Baby It’s Cold Outside’, we’re looking at you). But the same hasn't happened to this Carey-penned festive hit.

In fact, the reason why many stars release Christmas songs every year is the hope of replicating her magic. But the fact that no one has come close in 25 years tells us how special the adoration of her Christmas hit really is.

But what’s most special of all is that, in an era where musicians can curate their image more carefully than ever on a plethora of platforms, Carey seems confident enough in herself to embrace her association with Christmas.

Aside from Jesus, Mariah Carey has practically become a main protagonist of Christmas. She’s in on the joke and, thankfully, she’s not going anywhere.

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