Some songs age. Others hibernate. And then there’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You”, a track that wakes up every December, stretches, and casually breaks records like it’s nothing.
Billboard confirmed that Mariah Carey’s 1994 holiday classic is now the longest-running No. 1 single in Billboard Hot 100 history, with 20 total weeks at the top. That officially pushes it past Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” and Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road”, both previously tied at 19 weeks.
Yes. A Christmas song just outlasted every rap, pop, and country smash of the modern era. Respect the frost.
Here’s the wild part. When “All I Want for Christmas Is You” dropped on Carey’s Merry Christmas album, it wasn’t even eligible for the Hot 100. No commercial single, no chart slot. Different times.
That changed in 2000 after Billboard updated its rules. Still, the song didn’t hit No. 1 until 2019, powered by streaming, playlists, TikTok trends, and the collective agreement that December simply belongs to Mariah.
That first climb took 25 years, the longest journey to No. 1 in Hot 100 history. Since then, it has returned to the summit every single holiday season like clockwork. Seasonal boost? Sure. Cultural takeover? Absolutely.
Christmas Owns the Charts Now
Carey isn’t alone up there. This week’s Hot 100 looks like Santa hijacked the algorithm:
No. 2: Brenda Lee, “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree”
No. 3: Wham!, “Last Christmas”
No. 4: Bobby Helms, “Jingle Bell Rock”
No. 5: Ariana Grande, “Santa Tell Me”
Eight holiday songs are currently charting. The message is clear. Christmas music is no longer nostalgia. It’s a recurring commercial and cultural force.
Carey acknowledged the milestone with a perfectly petty joke online, referencing her 2019 torch-passing moment to Lil Nas X. This time, she’s holding the torch herself. No handoff needed.
And she’s not disappearing after New Year’s. Carey will be honored as MusiCares Person of the Year during Grammy Week on January 30, 2026. She’s also set for major global appearances next year, proving that “Queen of Christmas” is just one chapter, not the whole book.
This record isn’t just about one song. It’s about how streaming reshaped chart history, how fandom cycles now drive tradition, and how Mariah Carey quietly engineered the most durable hit in American music.
Twenty weeks at No. 1. One song. Thirty-one years later.
Christmas is temporary. Mariah is forever.