The special centers around a holiday crisis in which the North Pole has to call Santa Claus's friend, Mariah Carey, to help.

Carey, however, is setting up Christmas in her New York City apartment with her two kids, Roc and Roe along with Little Mimi (Mykal-Michelle Harris).

Carey rebukes the idea of schedules when Woodstock flies in, and pulls the antennas on the TV to turn on the Peanuts segment.

As the clock strikes six, the elves hurry out to watch a ballet performance by a Sugar Plum Fairy (Misty Copeland).

Carey wakes up in her apartment back in New York, telling Little Mimi and her kids that she was dreaming, only for Billy to reveal himself and start the Christmas concert ("Joy to the World").

Halfway through the concert, Billy accidentally cuts the power, causing Carey to sing a different song, under candlelight ("Silent Night").

Amongst the cast, multiple celebrities make cameos, including Bette Midler, Heidi Klum and Millie Bobby Brown.

[1] Carey originally teased the Christmas special on social media, sharing a shot of three directors chairs with her, Ariana Grande and Jennifer Hudson’s initials printed on them.

[10] In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Carey stated that the "most important thing for her in terms of a vision for the special, was that the spirit of Christmas came through during a challenging 2020 dominated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

[11]Initially teased on social media, Carey appeared on Good Morning America, CBS and The Graham Norton Show to promote the soundtrack and the special.

[20] He went on to say that the special "could only be made by a Mariah Carey who knows what her fans want from her: they want to be gagged, they want the most, they want to be bewildered, befuddled, and bewitched by the elusive chanteuse.

"[20] White went on to call it a "21st century revival of the kind of holiday specials that were mainstays on TV from the '60s through the '80s, hosted by everyone from Dean Martin to Dolly Parton.

"[20] The Detroit News writer, Adam Graham, gave a mixed-to-positive review stating that it was "not the tightest script that has ever been penned, but it gets Mariah to ride on a sleigh, visit a toy factory and sing her number 1 hit "All I Want for Christmas Is You" in the middle of the North Pole's town square.

The soundtrack featured appearances by Ariana Grande, Jennifer Hudson, Jermaine Dupri and Snoop Dogg,[28] and also included a cover of Leroy Anderson's "Sleigh Ride".

[20] He went on to praise the performances which "range from sincerely great (Carey’s girl group number with Hudson and Grande is such a joy) to the completely unexpected (a Mariah/Peanuts mash-up—sure!)

This special goes from Snoop Dogg rapping directly into Misty Copeland twirling to a version of "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" headlined by Mariah's iconic whistle tone.

[20] Adam Graham, writer for The Detroit News, called the soundtrack "wholesome and kid-friendly, an ode to Christmas specials of yore and delivered with a knowing wink and a nod".

[47] The special was executive produced by Carey, Tim Case, Charleen Manca, and Matthew Turke and directed by Joseph Kahn.