Encased in ice like a glittering pop-culture relic, Mariah Carey stands frozen in a frosty chamber… until the calendar flips to November. With a single note, the ice cracks, shatters, and the Queen of Christmas emerges in full red-and-white glam. No words needed. It’s time.
This GIF comes from Mariah Carey’s 2023 holiday video teaser—a playful, fully self-aware nod to the now-annual meme that she lies dormant all year, only to awaken as soon as Halloween ends.
How It’s Used
- November 1st at 12:00 a.m.
- When someone asks if it’s too early for Christmas music (it isn’t)
- When you emotionally defrost after spooky season
- “Me, the minute I hear sleigh bells in the distance”
- The official start of the Mariah Carey Industrial Holiday Complex™
Origin
- Artist: Mariah Carey
- Video: “It’s Time!” holiday teaser (2023)
- Concept: Mariah, frozen in a block of ice, breaks free by singing the opening note of All I Want for Christmas Is You.
- The video was released across her social channels on November 1, directly acknowledging the internet meme that she is thawed annually to begin Christmas season.
Why It Became a Meme
For years, the internet has joked that Mariah Carey hibernates year-round and awakens only to dominate the holiday charts. Instead of ignoring it, she embraced it—turning the meme into canon. The video’s theatrical freezing chamber, dramatic ice shatter, and first vocal note perfectly capture the cultural shift from Halloween to Christmas.
Legacy
Every year, this marks the unofficial beginning of holiday meme season. The GIF now circulates alongside countdown clocks, Whamageddon warnings, and “defrost Mariah” jokes. It has solidified her status not just as a singer, but as a recurring seasonal event.