This Billboard Explains episode dives into how Mariah Carey and Brenda Lee compete for No. 1 on the Hot 100 with their Christmas classics “All I Want for Christmas Is You” and “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” respectively, during the holiday season.

Tetris Kelly:
It’s the battle between the Christmas queens Mariah versus Brenda. Every holiday season, Mariah Carey and Brenda Lee battle it out for the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100, but how did these two Christmas classics become the top song? And what’s the story behind this holiday competition? This is Billboard Explains: Mariah Carey and Brenda Lee’s Battle for the Christmas Throne.

There are many holiday classics that are in rotation every December — Wham’s “Last Christmas,” Bobby Helms’ “Jingle Bell Rock” and Burl Ives’ “A Holly Jolly Christmas,” just to name a few. But two songs are always fighting for the No. 1 spot on the Hot 100: Mariah Carey’s “All I want for Christmas Is You” and Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.” So how did we get here? Let’s go back to the beginning.

Nearly 14 year old, Brenda Lee released “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” in 1958, and it debuted on the Hot 100 dated Dec. 12, 1960. The song originally peaked at No. 14 two weeks later, but it re-entered the Hot 100 decades later during the 2013-2014 holiday season. It first hit the top 10 during the 2018-2019 holiday, and spent nine weeks at No. 2 during the 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 holidays, right behind Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You.”

Speaking of Mariah, “All I Want for Christmas Is You” first appeared on the Billboard charts in 1994, and it hit the Hot 100’s top 10 for the first time in December 2017. It reached No. 1 on the Hot 100 for the first time in 2019, and has continued to dominate every holiday season since then, but that all changed in 2023 when Brenda’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” finally reached the No. 1 spot and spent three weeks at the top, while Mariah’s carol led for two weeks last holiday season.

But what is it about these two songs that keeps the battle going every Christmas? With the rise of streaming and curated holiday playlists, these two tracks are always staples on those lists, which helps bring them back to the chart every year. Plus, radio airplay and sales are always strong for both songs, among many other seasonal standards over the holidays.

But the stars play into the fun, too. Mariah has her viral “It’s Time” videos, while Brenda filmed a music video for her classic hit last year, and even joined the world of TikTok to promote the song.

Regardless of why these two songs are the songs of the holiday season, we can’t get enough of these two Christmas queens.