A Dallas Bar Has Banned Mariah Carey's All I Want for Christmas Is You From Its Jukebox

To some people, the winter holidays don't start until you hear the tinkly opening notes of "All I Want for Christmas Is You" on the radio. That harbinger seems to arrive earlier each year. On November 1, 2021, Mariah Carey marked the beginning of the season by violently smashing a pumpkin. But not everyone is eager to see the unofficial queen of Christmas assume her throne. As Food & Wine reports, the Stoneleigh P bar in Dallas has banned "All I Want for Christmas Is You" from its jukebox until December 1—drawing backlash from Carey's fans and the singer herself.

The Dallas bar has taken a stance against the classic Christmas song for the past three years. In late October 2021, Kyle Smith shared a sign outlining the policy on Twitter. The notice taped to the bar's jukebox reads: "MARIAH CAREY'S ALL I WANT FOR CHRSITMAS [sic] IS YOU WILL BE SKIPPED IF PLAYED BEFORE DEC 1." When December arrives, Stoneleigh P still plans to regulate the earworm. The flyer continues: "AFTER DEC 1 THE SONG IS ONLY ALLOWED ONE TIME A NIGHT."

The incendiary message got the internet's attention. One Twitter user shared the original picture with the question: "is this the war on Christmas I've heard about?" Even Carey caught wind of the controversy. She took the mention of the war on Christmas as a call to arms and tweeted a picture of herself in armor on a battlefield.

It's hard to imagine the holiday season without the song today, but "All I Want for Christmas Is You" wasn't guaranteed to be a hit. Carey went against conventional wisdom and recorded a Christmas album at the peak of her career in 1993. It was originally meant to be just covers of holiday songs, but Carey decided to challenge herself with creating a contemporary holiday classic. The track went on to become the most downloaded holiday single of all time.

You won't hear "All I Want for Christmas Is You" played on a loop at Stoneleigh P in Dallas, but that shouldn't discourage fans of the song. Turn on the radio anytime between now and January 1 and you'll likely hear at least one station playing the catchy tune.

[h/t Food & Wine]