Mariah Carey’s “Queen of Christmas” Trademark Is Critized By Fellow Holiday Queens

There comes a time in every great pop star’s life when they must milk their public image for all its worth. Mariah Carey is informally, culturally known as the Queen of Christmas, a title nobody has thought to challenge — until she tried to make it official.

Carey is as essential to Christmas as the Santa, with her 1994 song “All I Want for Christmas Is You” forever cementing her legacy. She sought to make it official, as any smart businesswoman would, in March 2021 when she filed an application to trademark the title, along with “QOC,” “Princess of Christmas,” and “Christmas Princess.” We’re not here to gatekeep the Royal Order, but is there anyone who is both a queen and a princess?

The application was made public July 12, starting a period when parties can file an opposition to the application — and surprisingly, one person did. Singer Elizabeth Chan, who has an album titled Queen of Christmas, and in 2014, was dubbed by The New Yorker as the same title.

Singer Darlene Love also caught wind of Carey’s petition, and also spoke out against it on Monday, suggesting she might need to involve her lawyers.

“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,” Love wrote on Facebook. “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!!”

The idea of three aging pop divas in a power struggle over rightful owner of the title of Queen of Christmas is so ridiculous and endearing that it reads like the logline of a Netflix Christmas special.

But Carey is smart to do it — and Chan and Love are smart to fight back. Carey’s trademark would mean nobody else could use the title “Queen of Christmas” for merchandise, albums, or song titles.

“Christmas has come way before any of us on earth, and hopefully will be around way after any of us on earth,” says Chan, in staunch opposition to Carey. “And 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.”