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As Mariah Carey prepares for the holiday season, she’s making sure she brings as much magic as possible for her twins, Moroccan and Monroe,
But the singer, who is lovingly dubbed the “Queen of Christmas” thanks to her holiday-time classic All I Want For Christmas Is You, has revealed that her childhood Christmases were far from merry.
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the iconic song, and in a revealing interview with Cosmopolitan UK, Mariah, 55, opened up about the difficult family dynamics that marred her early Yuletide celebrations.
Reflecting on her turbulent upbringing, she confesses that her family left her feeling let down during what should have been a joyful time of year.
“Growing up, I had a very dysfunctional family. I always wanted to have a really good time at Christmas, and they would ruin it,” she admitted.
“So I vowed in my own life I would make sure every Christmas was great.”
Sources tell Woman’s Day, “Mariah has filled the rest of the year with concerts. Every second night up until the week before Christmas she has a gig on. Then, she’s set aside free time until the end of January to spend with the kids, before rebooting her tour in Vegas.”
WORRIES FOR HER TWINS
With her parents separating when she was just three, and a complicated relationship with her siblings, Mariah’s vision of a perfect Christmas was often out of reach. Having split from husband Nick Cannon in 2014, the single mum now fears that history could be repeating itself.
“It’s been a year of deep self-reflection for Mariah,” sources share. “She’s worried also about Monroe and Rocco, who are coming into their teenage years with a new sibling practically every year [at the time of going to print, Nick has 12 children].
“With everything Mariah went through as a kid, growing up in poverty and being drugged by her big sister Alison at 12, all she’s ever really wanted for Christmas is a normal family life.”
As Mariah told Cosmopolitan, “I want to make it magical for my kids. It’s this childlike love of Christmas that saved me. I go through so much all year long just to have a great Christmas.”
Mariah’s commitment to creating the perfect holiday is apparent in the extravagant traditions she’s established for her family, including trips to snowy Aspen, Colorado, for a picture-perfect white Christmas complete with reindeer sleigh rides.
MARIAH’S GRIEF
In her 2020 memoir The Meaning Of Mariah Carey, the star laid bare her painful past, describing a “prickly rope of pride, pain, shame, gratitude, jealousy, admiration and disappointment” when it came to her relationship with her mother, Patricia, and her sister, Alison.
Tragically, Mariah’s mother and sister passed away on the same day in August this year, leaving the singer with a heavy heart as she faces her first holidays without them.
“I will love you the best I can, always,” Mariah wrote in the dedication of her memoir, reflecting the bittersweet emotions she still holds for her family.
Despite their strained relationships, Mariah’s grief was undeniable.
“My heart is broken that I’ve lost my mother. Sadly, in a tragic turn of events, my sister lost her life on the same day,” she told People magazine in August.
Though her relationship with her family was fraught with tension – and this year will be tinged with sadness with the double loss of her mother and sister – the dream of a perfect holiday continues to be a driving force in the star’s life.
“I always wanted a normal family Christmas, but it never quite happened. Now, all I want is to make sure my kids don’t have to experience that,” she said. “I just want to be able to give my kids the Christmases I always wanted for myself.”
As for writing her enduring Christmas hit, “I just wanted to write a song that captured the magic of Christmas and all the joy it brings,” she recalled of the song’s creation.
“I was thinking about love, family and how I wanted to make Christmas something truly special.”
