Mariah Carey has rewritten pop music history yet again, as her perennial holiday anthem "All I Want for Christmas Is You" notches a series of unprecedented milestones on the Billboard Hot 100. As of December 22, 2025, Carey officially became the first artist ever to spend a cumulative 100 weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100, a feat no other musician has achieved since the chart's inception 67 years ago. This remarkable achievement is powered by the continued dominance of her 1994 classic, which this week holds the top spot for a record-extending 21st total week at No. 1, according to Billboard.
Carey's accomplishment puts her in a league of her own. For context, Rihanna trails in second place with 60 weeks at No. 1, followed by The Beatles at 59 weeks and Drake at 56. In fact, Carey’s tally of 19 different Hot 100 chart-toppers, beginning with her debut single "Vision of Love" in 1990, has allowed her to accumulate this astronomical total over a career spanning more than three decades. According to Billboard, "All I Want for Christmas Is You" alone accounts for 21 of those weeks, now standing as the longest-running No. 1 song by a female artist in chart history.
The holiday season has always seen a surge of classic tunes on the charts, but this year, Christmas spirit has truly taken over the Hot 100. As reported by Ratings Game Music, the entire top 10 is dominated by holiday hits. Bobby Helms’ "Jingle Bell Rock" has climbed to No. 2 with 67 weeks on the chart, while Brenda Lee’s "Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree" sits at No. 3 with 70 weeks. Wham!’s "Last Christmas" and Ariana Grande’s "Santa Tell Me" round out the top five, with Taylor Swift’s "The Fate of Ophelia" serving as the sole non-holiday entry at No. 10. The rest of the top tier reads like a Christmas playlist, with timeless tracks from Nat King Cole, Kelly Clarkson, Dean Martin, and Andy Williams making appearances.
But even among this festive competition, Carey’s song stands alone. Not only has "All I Want for Christmas Is You" returned to No. 1 for its seventh consecutive holiday season, it has also become the longest-charting song by a female artist in Hot 100 history. With its 78th week on the chart, the single surpasses Dua Lipa’s "Levitating," which previously held the record at 77 weeks (though part of Lipa’s run included a remix featuring DaBaby, giving Carey’s solo effort a unique edge). As Billboard details, this puts "All I Want for Christmas Is You" in rarefied air, boasting the seventh-longest Hot 100 stay overall among all artists.
These chart achievements are bolstered by staggering numbers. For the tracking week ending December 18, 2025, the song drew 43.6 million U.S.-based streams (up 10% from the previous week), 28 million radio airplay audience impressions (up 24%), and sold 3,000 downloads (up 1%), according to Luminate data reported by Billboard. The single also holds its No. 1 position on the Streaming Songs chart for a record-extending 25th week, and remains in the top five for Digital Song Sales after spending six weeks at the summit.
Carey’s influence goes far beyond the Hot 100. This week, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) awarded "All I Want for Christmas Is You" an 18x platinum certification, representing 18 million certified units sold or streamed in the United States. As Billboard and That Grape Juice both confirm, this makes it the most certified single by a female artist in American history. The RIAA’s platinum system includes both sales and streaming equivalents, with each platinum level marking another million units moved. In the streaming era, this means older songs like Carey’s can continue to rack up certifications as new generations discover them each December.
It’s not just the numbers that tell the story. The cultural impact of "All I Want for Christmas Is You" is undeniable. Since its release on the 1994 album Merry Christmas, the song has grown from a seasonal favorite into a universal signal that the holidays have arrived. Streaming platforms have only accelerated its reach, introducing the track to millions of new listeners each year. As Billboard notes, the song first reached the Hot 100’s top 10 in December 2017 and the top five the following year, but it wasn’t until 2019 that it finally claimed the No. 1 spot. Since then, it has returned to the summit every holiday season, including multi-week runs in 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, and now 2025.
Carey’s continued dominance is even more impressive when considering the fierce competition from both classic and contemporary artists. The Hot 100’s holiday surge this year has seen Bobby Helms, Brenda Lee, and Wham! all reach new chart highs, while modern stars like Ariana Grande and Kelly Clarkson have carved out their own places in the seasonal canon. Yet, it’s Carey’s voice and songwriting that remain the gold standard for holiday hits, outpacing even the most beloved standards from decades past.
Behind the scenes, the data driving these chart placements is meticulously verified. Billboard partners with Luminate, an independent data provider, to review and authenticate all streaming, sales, and radio airplay figures. Any suspicious or unverifiable data is removed before the final rankings are published, ensuring that every week at No. 1 is earned on merit.
Carey’s career is a testament to both her talent and her ability to evolve with the times. She remains the best-selling female artist of all time, with more than 200 million albums sold globally. Her 19 Hot 100 No. 1 singles are more than any solo artist in history, and her influence continues to shape the music industry. The fact that a holiday song from 1994 is outperforming today’s biggest releases is a rare achievement in an industry where trends come and go in the blink of an eye.
For fans—affectionately known as the #Lambs—these milestones are cause for celebration. Each December, social media buzzes with anticipation for Carey’s annual declaration that it’s officially Christmas season. The song has transcended its status as a mere hit to become a cultural touchstone, uniting generations and serving as the soundtrack to countless holiday memories.
As "All I Want for Christmas Is You" extends its reign, it’s clear that Mariah Carey’s legacy is not only secure—it’s still growing. With each passing year, the song’s magic only seems to intensify, proving that some classics never lose their shine. The numbers, the records, and the memories all point to one simple truth: Mariah Carey is, and likely will remain, the undisputed queen of Christmas.
