Mariah Carey Declares Holiday Season Open With Midnight Post
The singer shared a video at 12 a.m. on Nov. 1, transitioning from a punk performance to her signature Christmas anthem.
By Leila Mansour ·
Mariah Carey officially marked the start of the winter holiday season at 12 a.m. on Nov. 1, 2026. The singer posted a video online that serves as her annual signal to begin Christmas festivities. The release follows the end of Halloween and reasserts her association with the holiday season.
The video captures Carey performing at a New York City club on Halloween night. She wears a punk ensemble and performs the alt-rock track "Hermit." This song, which she wrote in the 1990s under the alias Chick, was not publicly linked to her until years later. During the performance, Carey jumps into the mosh pit and crowd surfs.
As the clock strikes midnight, the atmosphere shifts from punk to festive. Carey sings her well-known "it's time" line in her whistle register to announce the change. This specific vocal moment has become a yearly tradition for her fans. The video marks her latest addition to a series of clips she releases each year to "defrost" and signal the start of the season.
Carey's dominance in the holiday music market is underscored by the chart performance of her 1994 single "All I Want for Christmas Is You." The track has spent a total of 22 weeks at number one on the Hot 100. This statistic reinforces her status as the central figure in modern Christmas music.
Previous years' videos have featured appearances by comedian Billy Eichner as well as Carey's twins, Moroccan and Monroe Cannon. This year's footage focuses on her solo performance and the transition between genres. The post appeared on social media as the date rolled over to November.
