You would be hard-pressed to find a person who doesn’t openly (or secretly) love listening to Mariah Carey’s iconic Christmas song, “All I Want For Christmas is You.” The song’s popularity earned her the de facto title “Queen of Christmas,” and Carey wanted to make it official.
Last year, the singer filed a petition with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for ownership over the nickname “Queen of Christmas,” but her request was denied — the coveted title will remain free to anyone who wishes to use it, per CBS News. Her bids for “Princess Christmas” and “QOC” were also rejected.
Who are the other ‘Queens of Christmas’?
When Carey submitted her petition for ownership over the moniker, a couple other queens of Christmas argued the title was rightfully theirs as well. Darlene Love and Elizabeth Chan have both been associated with the title and were not willing to give it up without a fight.
“Is it true that Mariah Carey trademarked ‘Queen of Christmas’? What does that mean, that I can’t use that title? David Letterman officially declared me the Queen of Christmas 29 years ago, a year before she released ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You,’ and at 81 years of age I’m NOT changing anything. I’ve been in the business for 52 years, have earned it and can still hit those notes! If Mariah has a problem call David or my lawyer!!” Love wrote on her Facebook page.
Love has a long history with Christmas music. She is known for her hit “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home),” which she sang on the Letterman show every year from 1986 to 2014, per Variety.
Elizabeth Chan, a singer who exclusively makes Christmas music, is another “Queen of Christmas,” and she isn’t ready to let go of the royal title. Chan has a deep relationship with the winter holiday — her daughter is named Noelle and she was baptized on Dec. 25, The Washington Post reported.
In 2018, The New Yorker dubbed Chan “Queen of Christmas,” and in 2021, she used the title for her Christmas album.
“I feel very strongly that no one person should hold onto anything around Christmas or monopolize it in the way that Mariah seeks to in perpetuity. That’s just not the right thing to do. Christmas is for everyone. It’s meant to be shared; it’s not meant to be owned,” said Chan, per Variety.
Why did the trademark office deny Carey the title?
Mariah Carey argued that her connection to the title is “inextricable,” The Washington Post reported, but when the time came, Carey gave up on the fight and essentially let the trademark request fizzle out.
Carey’s lawyers filed motions between June and August to extend the proceedings, but when it was Carey’s turn to file a response to Chan’s hit, Carey let the deadline pass without doing anything. Carey basically let her trademark application expire, and she has not provided a reason for doing so.
Chan’s lawyer, Louis Tompros with the law firm WilmerHale, called Carey’s actions a “classic case of trademark bullying,” per CBS News. “We are pleased with the victory, and delighted that we were able to help Elizabeth fight back against Carey’s overreaching trademark registrations,” Tompros added.
Now, the title is free for any “Queen of Christmas” to claim.
In response to the news, Love wrote on her Facebook page, “Thank you, Lord!! Congrats to all the other Queen of Christmases around the world, living and whom have passed!”