Fans waited all day on Saturday, Halloween, for Mariah Carey to finally defrost and declare, “It’s time!” and it finally happened late in the day. Carey, the Queen of Christmas, carried on her tradition of announcing the official start of the holiday season with another highly anticipated TikTok video that quickly grabbed millions of views.
This year’s video was posted shortly before midnight ET on Saturday and has a different vibe than previous years’ holiday defrosting videos.
Mariah Carey Is Officially Defrosted!
Carey‘s 2026 holiday defrosting video starts out with a black screen that reads, “New York City,” that switches to “October 31st.” A countdown then pops up, starting at 11:58:13 PM. The camera then pans into what appears to be your typical NYC dive bar.
On stage entertaining the packed bar, the diva herself, but with a very different look than the norm. She’s rocking a punk look with red and blond hair and cat ears, black lipstick, and deep, dark eye makeup.
According to Entertainment Weekly, Carey is performing the song “Hermit,” something she wrote, produced, and performed as a background vocalist in the 1990s. The album, “Someone’s Ugly Daughter,” was released under the band name Chick in collaboration with her friend Clarissa Dane.
After the performance clip, the black screen reappears flashing 11:59:59 PM, marking the moment Carey’s defrost begins. When the countdown hits midnight, she belts out her iconic, “It’s time” and instantly transforms into the holiday version of herself that everyone’s been waiting for. As the camera pans out, we see that Carey is the star on top of the Christmas tree.
This video is a partnership with brand Sol de Janeiro.
Fans Were Ready For This Video All Day
It didn’t take long after the video was posted before the views started racking up. In just 12 hours, it already had more than 18 million views and 85,000 comments.
Comments such as, “Nothing can stop her now,” “The way this has become a yearly tradition,” “I’ve been anticipating this for 2 months nowww,” and “It’s timeeee” filled the comment section.
Coca-Cola’s official TikTok page shared a photo of a Holiday Creamy Vanilla Coke being poured into a glass, with 292,000 liking that comment so far. Some viewers are wondering if there’s a holiday Coke being released soon. “It says holiday creamy vanilla I’m excited,” one person responded. Another said, “And they will write its timeeeeeeeeeee on it.”
Last Year’s Video Got 154 Million Views
Each year, Carey’s “It’s time” videos have people in a chokehold. They wait patiently all day on Halloween for the release of the iconic way Carey is ringing in the holiday season.
In 2025, her video quickly received more than 150 million views and had the comment section on fire with 251,000 comments. The video was a partnership with Sephora that starred actor Billy Eichner.
“Bad news, Mariah Carey, the elves are striking this year,” Eichner said as he portrayed an elf who’s stealing Carey’s Sephora haul. “Elf revenge for putting us through holiday hell. Santa’s helper quit. I’m pawning all this so I can afford elf therapy.”
He then said, “Christmas is cancelled. No bells, no cheer, no glam.” When he asked Carey is she had any last words, she simply belted out her iconic, “It’s timeeee!!!” Then the scene shifts into a joyous Christmas vibe, with Eichner now a snowman.
One person commented “This is better than 2026” after watching the video released last night. Another person agreed, saying, “This one was soooo much better.”
Mariah Carey’s 2024 Video Was Called ‘The Best It’s Time’
The 2024 video grabbed the attention of 59.6 million viewers. One viewer shared that “this was the best its time,” after seeing the 2026 video.
The video has a very “Addams Family” vibe. After a dance scene with a man also dressed the part, a door opens and the holiday season arrives. It wouldn’t be complete without an iconic, “It’s Time” to signify we’ve crossed over from Halloween fun to holiday cheer.
Get Ready To Hear A Lot Of ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ Now That ‘It’s Time’
If Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” isn’t on a loop in your head by the end of November 1, are you even paying attention? The moment she belts out “It’s time” and then immediately begins singing the hit song, it’s sure to be playing everywhere often until the holiday season is officially over.
According to Entertainment Weekly, the hit holiday song became the single with the most weeks at No. 1 in Billboard Hot 100 history last year, reaching 22 non-consecutive weeks at the top of the list. Earlier this year, it was dethroned by Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas” with 25 total weeks at the top.
Carey’s hit holiday song spent four weeks in the No. 1 spot in 2024 and 2025, so let’s see what happens in 2026 now that she’s defrosted and ready for another festive holiday season.
