Country and Christmas just go together. Maybe it's the genre's origins in church music, spirituals and mountain songs, or its preoccupation with family. But nothing says the holiday like a fireplace crackling with real logs, sleigh bells ringing through a snowy field. Or a lonesome tune, sung with a twang.
Powerhouse singer and songwriter Mariah Carey is the undisputed Christmas queen, a title she has held since her 1994 hit "All I Want for Christmas is You"; she actually copyrighted a version of the royal moniker for herself in 2021. Carey's catchy song with its vintage-tinted video of her frolicking about in a red snowsuit marks the official kickoff to the Christmas season. When big box stores and radio stations start playing the tune, it elicits a Pavlovian response to start shopping.
