Mariah Carey Checks Off Our Christmas List

Welcome to Thirstory, where we whet your appetite with pages from the Interview archive that were almost too hot to print. This week, we hurry down the chimney with the queen of Christmas, Mariah Carey, in her September 2007 cover feature.

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Ever since the advent of the iPhone, Apple has seemingly released a new product every other day since 2007. While most of them are unwelcome and frankly unnecessary, the tech giant has redeemed itself with the announcement of “Mariah Carey’s Magical Christmas Special,” set to debut on Apple TV+ on December 04. 

In what feels like a year that was hijacked by the Grinch himself, the official press release for the streaming event alludes that hope is just a sleigh ride away: “Faced with a holiday cheer crisis, the North Pole knows there’s only one person who can save the day: Santa’s great friend, Mariah Carey.” A profound statement indeed, but they aren’t wrong about Miss Carey’s acute ability to inspire a little Christmas joy. While her iconic 2005 album may be called The Emancipation of Mimi, a more suitable name for the record today may be “The Emancipation of Ms. Claus.” In the modern age, Father Christmas has taken a back seat and been eclipsed by MC, who has come to personify the holiday season, with her 1994 smash hit “All I Want for Christmas Is You” reaching the apex of the charts decades after its release. Like Santa, the diva is an enigmatic, robust figure that loves to give. A look back at her September 2007 cover shoot and you can witness the singer taking on the role of Claus, offering a teddy bear to a torso-bearing hunk. Another example of her boundless charity? The lineup for her Apple TV+ special, which will offer a gift we have too long been waiting for: collaboration between Carey and her heir apparent, Ariana Grande. Tis’ the season.