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Queens of Christmas: Dolly Parton and Mariah Carey Gush Over Each Other

It’s official: Dolly Parton and Mariah Carey love one another.

And they are both the official queens of Christmas.

Videos by American Songwriter

That is, if you believe their love-fest on Twitter earlier this week.

When dubbed “the new queen of Christmas” by Better Homes and Gardens Magazine, Parton was deferential. Always the charmer, she tipped her holly-studded crown for the sake of the “All I Want for Christmas Is You” singer.

“Now, donโ€™t you say that!” Parton told the publication. “Iโ€™m not going to compete with Mariah. I love her. You think of Christmas, you think ofย Mariah. I’m happy to be second in line to her.”

Carey then jumped in on social media to write, “Dolly, letโ€™s settle this oneโ€ฆ You are the Queen of Everything! The Queen of the World, The Queen of Christmas, The Queen of Mine!! Love you!!!!”

Parton responded to that in the thread, quoting her famous song, writing, “I will always love you.”

Read more about Parton in our current American Songwriter Magazine cover story.

Earlier this year, there were rumors that Carey, who has hinted at new music and even perhaps an upcoming biopic, was working toward patenting the phrase, “Queen of Christmas.” The trademark bid angered Darlene Love and Elizabeth Chan, the latter of whom solely records Christmas music, and according to Variety, filed a declaration of opposition in August.

In other Carey Christmas news, the singer recently revealed a series of new concert dates for her latest holiday revue, โ€œMerry Christmas To All!โ€ย Running two days on Dec. 11 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Canada, and Dec. 13 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, both shows will celebrate Careyโ€™s catalog of holiday songs.

Fans purchasing tickets toย โ€œMerry Christmas To All!โ€ย will also be able to purchase an exclusive T-shirt in addition to a copy of Careyโ€™s upcoming illustrated holiday fairytale picture book.ย The Christmas Princess, available Nov. 1.

Careyโ€™s 1994 hit โ€œAll I Want for Christmas Is Youโ€ hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2021 for the third time, making history as the first song to hold “three distinct runs” on the chart, according to Billboard. Released on Careyโ€™s 1994 holiday album, Merry Christmas, the song reached the top 10 on the chart for the first time in 2017. “All I Want for Christmas Is You” peaked at No. 1 in 2019, 2020, andย again in 2021.

Photo by Rick Kern/FilmMagic