Mariah Carey ‘freaks out’ as she marks 25th anniversary of All I Want For Christmas Is You

Mariah Carey has said she is "freaking out" over her hit song All I Want For Christmas Is You entering its 25th year this Christmas.

The pop icon, 49, first released the song in 1994, entering the UK charts at number 5 before rising to number 2.

It is one of her most successful songs to date, having spent a total of 92 weeks in the UK charts and rose again to number 2 over Christmas in 2017 and 2018.

The song has charted in the USA each year at Christmas time since its original release.

Speaking to Cosmopolitan, Carey said: “The more I hear [that it’s turning 25], the more I freak out. I’d rather just say it feels like it’s going to be a great anniversary for the album. We’ll call it a birthday. It’s not that it scares me, it’s just if you don’t acknowledge time, you don’t have to deal with it.”

When writing the song, Carey said she decided to "get into the Christmas mood" before writing the hit.

“I just sat down, decorated a little tree and put on It’s A Wonderful Life and tried to get into that mood," she said. "Then I sat in this small room with a keyboard and started doing little melodies and stuff. I was going over all the things I think about at Christmas time that make me happy and how to turn it around and make it into a love song.”

Last week, the star’s 1994 album Merry Christmas - which All I Want for Christmas is You featured on - was re-released today to mark its 25th anniversary.

She also released a tongue-in-cheek video launching the start of the festive season.

The video kicks off as Carey goes to sleep dressed in her Halloween costume, still wearing a glam rock-style wig and heavy eye make-up and clutching her phone in her hand.

The camera then zooms in on the phone screen as the time changes to midnight on November 1, marking the end of the Halloween celebrations.

The famous opening notes of All I Want For Christmas play in the background as Carey’s phone flashes with an incoming call from Santa.

Carey’s fans hailed the singer for fully embracing the festive season, with many Twitter users joking that she’d been gearing up for this moment all year.

Read the full interview in the December issue of Cosmopolitan – on sale now