The song, which was the single from the singer's fourth studio album (and first Christmas project ) Merry Christmas, almost didn't happen. Because holiday albums were usually reserved for older, more seasoned artists, it didn't make much sense for Mariah to release a Christmas album so early in her career. But the "Emotions" singer's personal love for the holidays won out, and she ended up creating the undisputed best Christmas song ever — we're not arguing about this.