Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed most commonly on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. Christmas Day is a public holiday in many of the world's nations, is celebrated religiously by a majority of Christians, as well as culturally by many non-Christians, and forms an integral part of the holiday season. In several countries, celebrating Christmas Eve has the main focus rather than Christmas Day.
Merry Christmas is the first Christmas album, by American singer and songwriter Mariah Carey. Released by Columbia Records on November 1, 1994. The album contains a contemporary holiday theme, and featured "authentic, gospel flavored background vocals". Three singles were released from the album, of which "All I Want for Christmas Is You" went on to become one of the best-selling singles of all time.