Mariah Carey has 'dream' come true, will open for Santa at Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
Charles Trepany
Mariah Carey is getting ready to team up with perhaps the only other pop culture icon more strongly associated with Christmas than she is.
The singer, 52, announced on Instagram Friday she will perform at this year's Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, where she will be opening for Santa Claus.
"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. "Tune in on Thanksgiving Day @NBC!"
The parade airs on NBC and streaming on Peacock from 9 a.m. to noon in all time zones.
Carey's announcement comes four days after the United States Trademark Trial and Appeal Board ruled against her attempts to trademark the phrases "Queen of Christmas," "Princess Christmas" and "QOC." Elizabeth Chan, a full-time Christmas and holiday music recording artist, engaged in a months-long legal battle to block her trademark attempts.
Mariah Carey denied exclusive rights to 'Queen of Christmas' title after trademark battle
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."
Carey has turned the holiday into a cottage industry, with concerts, TV specials and even McDonald's menus centered on her love for all things merry. That festive fervor spills over at home, too.
"When I'm not on stage and I'm in holiday mode, there are rules that I set," Carey told USA TODAY earlier this month. "I don't care who it is – the kids, if I have guests, whatever – nobody is allowed to play or watch anything other than a Christmas-related thing. If I wake up in the middle of the night and walk into the living room, and the music isn't playing and the lights aren't on, I just can't handle it."
Earlier this month, Carey released the heartwarming children's book "The Christmas Princess" (Henry Holt and Co., 48 pp.). Co-written with Michaela Angela Davis, the story follows a young girl named Little Mariah who lives in a rundown shack with her overworked mom, Mother La Diva. She gets bullied by neighborhood kids and longs for Christmas cheer to help brighten her gloomy life. But through singing, she soon discovers her power to spread joy and unite people.
Carey traces her intense love for the holiday season back to her 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 says.
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Contributing: Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY