CONSIDER THANKSGIVING OVER — because Mariah Carey has arrived to officially kick off the Christmas season.
Carey closed out the 96th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on Thursday with a cheerful performance of “All I Want for Christmas Is You.” Standing in front of the giant Turkey-themed entrance, Carey wore a magenta gown while she belted out the holiday hit, holding a matching parasol. Dancers dressed in matching red marching band uniforms surrounded her and were joined by ballet dancers.
During the performance, a pair of green gift boxes flanking Carey opened up to reveal her 11-year-old twins, Moroccan and Monroe, and they danced next to her for the rest of the song.
Ahead of her performance, Carey raved about the opportunity to sing her hit song during the parade, calling it her “childhood dream.”
“My childhood dream is coming to life! I’m going to be opening for the one and only, SANTA CLAUS,” she wrote on Instagram.
And Carey’s holiday domination is just getting started. The artist will appear for a pair of holiday-themed concerts at Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena and New York’s Madison Square Garden. CBS will showcase the two-hour primetime concert special Mariah Carey: Merry Christmas to All on Tuesday, Dec. 20.
The annual parade kicked off at 9 a.m. ET and ran through 2.5 miles of NYC streets. Along with Carey, artists, including Big Time Rush, Sean Paul, Paula Abdul, Jordin Sparks, Dionne Warwick, Betty Who, Fitz and the Tantrums, and more graced the stage.
Queen of Christmas Mariah Carey wraps up Thanksgiving Day Parade with a holiday bow
All hail Queen Mariah, at the peak of her holiday reign.
Mariah Carey performed at the 96th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on Thursday. She wrapped up the iconic New York City parade like a present, opening for Santa Claus before he was introduced in front of Macy’s flagship store in Herald Square.
Holding a parasol and clad in an off-the-shoulder, mermaid style red gown and a dazzling tiara, Carey sang her iconic Christmas song “All I Want for Christmas is You” surrounded by an impressive lineup of dancers and accompanied by her children, twins Monroe and Moroccan.
On Thanksgiving day, her 1994 hit was in the U.S. top 25 songs on Apple Music’s “Top 100 USA” and No. 12 on Spotify’s “Top 50 USA” list.
Fans took to Twitter, sharing their satisfaction with her Thanksgiving day show
“Omg she looks soooooo gorgeous (& festive!) at the Macys Thanksgiving Day parade #MariahSZN,” wrote Joan De Jesús.
Victor Villegas added that “it’s been 27 years, but I still get chills and teary eyed when I hear ‘All I Want For Christmas’ by @MariahCarey,” sharing an image of Carey’s performance on his television.
The singer, 52, announced on Instagram last week she would perform at this year’s parade.
“My childhood dream is coming to life! I’m going to be opening for the one and only, SANTA CLAUS, at this year’s @macys Thanksgiving day parade!” she wrote.
Carey’s fans have colloquially referred to her as the queen of Christmas due to the annual resurgence in popularity of her 1994 holiday hit “All I Want for Christmas Is You” but her attempts to trademark the title, among others, have been denied.
Earlier this month, Carey released a children’s book fit for the season called “The Christmas Princess” (Henry Holt and Co., 48 pp), tracing her intense love for the holiday season back to her own childhood.
“Even if I received a Christmas gift that was a piece of fruit literally wrapped up in newspaper, I just had the spirit of that magical time,” she told USA TODAY earlier this month.
