One hundred and fourteen days before Christmas, American diva Mariah Carey acknowledged the Philippines’ claim to the world’s lengthiest Yuletide holiday season, which famously kicks off at the beginning of the “ber” months.
On Saturday, Carey responded to a post on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, which reported a festive surge of her iconic song “All I Want for Christmas is You,” racking up over 300,000 streams on Spotify on the first day of September.
Carey exclaimed, “Not yet!!!!” Her words served as a playful reminder that the Christmas season, despite the excitement, has not officially arrived.
“I’ll allow it for my Filipino lambs though,” Carey tweeted in reference to the sudden uptick in streams. “I don’t make the rules!”
The song, considered one of the most recognizable tunes of the season, was streamed 112,040 times in the Philippines on September 1, becoming the 82nd most-streamed song in the country that day.
Meanwhile, on the domestic front, social media is flooded with Jose Mari Chan’s yuletide memes and songs, signaling the unofficial start of an extended Christmas season.
“Christmas in Our Hearts” is an iconic anthem associated with this early celebration, joined by recognizable tunes such as “A Perfect Christmas” and “A Christmas Carol.”
Filipinos humorously connect Chan with the onset of Christmas in September, sharing jokes and memes to express their holiday excitement and poke fun at the early festivities.
In a recent television interview, Chan said he has personally come across the memes.
“I see the memes, and I’m genuinely curious about who’s responsible for creating them. This trend began about a decade ago, right?” the 78-year-old singer-songwriter said.
Chan also expressed gratitude for being a significant part of the Christmas season in the Philippines. “Thank you very much for making me one of the symbols of Philippine Christmas,” the singer said.