The music of the holiday season is just as important as cooking a traditional meal or opening presents with loved ones. Christmas CDs are an annual part of the festivities for a lot of people, some of whom collect movie soundtracks and other special albums through the years.
As soon as Thanksgiving arrives (or even before), people start playing their favorite seasonal songs. One of the most well-loved is Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You." The famous track was first released in 1994, hit the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2019 (for the first time), and has since been covered by multiple artists for several different movies and television events. In some cases, the use of it adds a lot to a scene.
All I Want For Christmas Is You (2017)
One of the most obvious instances of "All I Want for Christmas Is You" is Mariah Carey's 2015-2017 book and movie project of the same name. The CGI animated film is about a young Mariah who wants a puppy for Christmas. Mariah Carey voiced an older version of herself for the film and provided music for the soundtrack, which included "All I Want for Christmas Is You."
The voice of young Mariah, Breanna Yde, also covered the Christmas anthem. Two decades after the song's initial release, it is sweet to see it as the basis of a children's film in which Mariah is directly involved.
Love Actually
The 2003 movie Love Actually is considered one of the best of the 2000s. It included a performance of Mariah Carey's hit song within the plot of the film. It is performed by young Olivia Olson, who played Joanna Anderson.
Olson's cover of "All I Want for Christmas Is You" is also on the Love Actually soundtrack, and it's an energetic, full-voice rendition that any fan of the song would love to hear. The piece plays a large role in the film, and the movie, in turn, helped perpetuate the popularity of the track for a new decade of listeners.
Glee: The Music, The Christmas Album Volume 2
Although Glee never got a movie, the hit musical television show came out with numerous soundtracks, to the delight of the show's many avid fans. Mercedes Jones (played by Amber Riley) sings "All I Want for Christmas Is You" on Glee in the choir room, dancing and spreading Christmas cheer every minute. Amber Riley's voice is perfect for the holiday standard, and fans can enjoy it on one of Glee's Christmas albums.
Volume 2 was first released in 2011 and places Riley's fabulous cover at the top of the album. All the joy of Glee's Christmas music can also be relived on Netflix.
Merry Nickmas
Nickelodeon saw Disney Channel scaling the heights of musical success in the 2000s, so the beloved orange network decided to get into the singing game a bit more. With their biggest and best musical acts of the time, Nickelodeon put together a Christmas event.
The network saw the brilliance of "All I Want for Christmas Is You" and featured it in a Big Time Rush holiday special called "Big Time Christmas." The boy band sang the song with popular actress Miranda Cosgrove of Drake & Josh and iCarly. The teen pop version of Mariah's song made it onto the 2010 album Merry Nickmas. The music video, which is on YouTube, is definitely a fun throwback.
Disney Channel Holiday Playlist
Disney Channel was always known to get into the holiday spirit, and that includes classic holiday episodes, a few festive DCOMs, and some nice Christmas soundtracks. Hilary Duff's Santa Claus Lane was only the beginning in 2002. Ten years later, Disney Channel Holiday Playlist featured several popular stars of the day, including Zendaya, Bella Thorne, Ross Lynch, Olivia Holt, and Coco Jones, as well as Bridgit Mendler and Shane Harper.
Caroline Sunshine is a controversial political figure at present, but she was once a Disney Channel star on Shake it Up. Sunshine played Tinka Hessenheffer on the dance series (with Bella Thorne and Zendaya) and then sang "All I Want for Christmas Is You" on the 2012 Disney holiday album.
Mariah Carey's Magical Christmas Special
Twenty-six years later, it only makes sense for Mariah Carey to keep singing the Christmas song that the world loves. She has an exclusive Apple TV+ event for the 2020 season called Mariah Carey's Magical Christmas Special. The show will begin with Tiffany Haddish as the storyteller. In a spectacular winter wonderland, Mariah will offer the Christmas cheer everyone needs, with special appearances from her children and from celebrity friends like Ariana Grande, Mykal-Michelle Harris, Billy Eichner, Snoop Dogg, Jennifer Hudson, Jermaine Dupri, and Misty Copeland.
Featuring the voices of Jennifer Hudson and Ariana Grande, the special is accompanied by a soundtrack album which, of course, includes a spirited, magical "All I Want for Christmas Is You." This streaming event is one of the highlights of the season.