One Song Ruled Christmas for 30 Years, then December 2025 Happened.

For as long as I can remember, Christmas had a sound.

Before the decorations went up, before the family group chats became noisy. Before December even truly began.

That sound was Mariah Carey’s voice, the voice that defined Christmas for decades.

So when I saw the headline this week, I paused. Read it again. Then read it slowly. Mariah Carey had been dethroned.

Not by a new artist.

Not by a viral TikTok hit.

But by a song released over 40 years ago.

And suddenly, Christmas 2025 felt… different.

How Mariah Carey Built a Christmas Empire That Lasted 30 Years

“All I Want for Christmas Is You” isn’t just a hit song. It’s a system.

Since the streaming era began, Mariah Carey’s Christmas anthem has returned every single year like clockwork. November ends, December begins, and the song rises straight back to the top of global charts.

At this point, it’s bigger than Mariah herself.

Streaming platforms helped turn it into a holiday machine:

• Billions of streams worldwide
• Multiple years at No.1
• One of the most successful songs in music history

It’s the kind of song that makes money without asking for attention. Spotify and Apple Music turned it into an annual ritual. Even people who swear they’re tired of hearing it somehow still play it.

For years, it felt untouchable.

Which is exactly why the moment Mariah Carey’s Christmas song was dethroned this December actually mattered.

How Wham!’s “Last Christmas” Dethroned Mariah Carey’s Christmas Song

While Mariah’s dominance has always been loud and unmistakable, Wham!’s “Last Christmas” moved very differently.

It lingered.

According to chart data reported by CNN, “Last Christmas” surged to No.1 on the Billboard Global 200 with over 120 million streams globally, overtaking Mariah Carey’s Christmas classic.

You can read the full breakdown here

There was no scandal. No sudden marketing push. No dramatic campaign.

Just streaming behaviour.

A song released in 1984, by a band many younger listeners only vaguely recognise,  quietly became the most streamed Christmas song in the world again.

This wasn’t hype beating Mariah.

This was listening habits doing the talking.

Streaming Quietly Changed the Rules of Christmas Music

In the old days, chart success depended on radio play and physical sales.

Now, it depends on behavior.

What people replay.

What they save.

What they let loop quietly in the background while living their lives.

Streaming doesn’t reward volume alone,  it rewards comfort.

And in 2025, comfort looked a little different.

“Last Christmas” isn’t loud or celebratory. It’s reflective. Slightly sad. Honest in a way that doesn’t try to fix anything. It sits with memory, loss, and love instead of rushing past them.

That tone mattered this year.

Many people weren’t looking for explosive joy,  they were looking for something that felt familiar and emotionally steady. And that’s where Wham!’s song fit in.

According to Billboard’s chart methodology, global streaming volume now plays a major role in determining rankings:

So this wasn’t nostalgia defeating Mariah Carey’s Christmas song.

It was nostalgia evolving,  shaped by mood, habit, and how people actually listen now.

Is Mariah Carey’s Christmas Reign Actually Over?

Short answer: No.

Long answer: Not even close.

Mariah Carey didn’t lose relevance neither did she fall off. She didn’t disappear from the charts. She didn’t stop being the “Queen of Christmas.”

Her song is still:

• One of the most streamed holiday songs ever
• A guaranteed chart climber every December
• A cultural reference point

What changed is the idea that only one song gets to own Christmas forever.

And honestly? That’s healthy.

Why Mariah Carey Losing the Top Spot Feels Bigger Than Music

This wasn’t just about two Christmas songs switching places on a chart.

It felt symbolic.

For years, Christmas music has felt fixed,  like tradition had already decided what joy should sound like. One song. One voice. One mood. But this moment cracked that idea open.

Streaming has quietly changed how nostalgia works. Old songs don’t fade out anymore. Classics don’t retire. They compete. Mood now matters just as much as memory.

And in 2025, people leaned toward something softer. Something reflective. Something that didn’t demand happiness, but allowed space for feeling.

Mariah Carey represents celebration, big vocals, big joy, the kind of Christmas that fills rooms.

Wham! represents memory, love lost, time passing, emotions that don’t always resolve neatly.

Both belong to Christmas.

We just haven’t always allowed room for both at the same time.

What This Means for Christmas Music Going Forward

This shift could quietly change things:

• Older classics may continue resurfacing
• Holiday playlists may diversify
• Emotional storytelling may outperform forced cheer

We might even see artists stop chasing “the next Mariah Carey” and start making Christmas songs that feel personal instead of manufactured.

That would be a win.

Why People Are Still Talking About This

Because it wasn’t loud, It wasn’t messy or even dramatic.

It was subtle.

Mariah Carey didn’t lose Christmas.

Christmas simply reminded us it has more than one sound.

My Final Thought On This

For decades, Mariah Carey has been the sound many of us associate with Christmas. That doesn’t disappear overnight.

But in 2025, something shifted, not dramatically, or even loudly,  just enough to remind us that traditions can grow without breaking.

Wham! didn’t steal a crown. They stood beside it.

And honestly that’s the real story here.

Not competition.

Not downfall.

Just evolution.

Because Christmas doesn’t belong to one song, it belongs to every sound that feels like home. Mariah Carey will always be part of Christmas, but now, she shares the stage.

Before You Go…

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