Mariah Carey’s Christmastime in Las Vegas runs through December 13

Mariah Carey told the crowd at Dolby Live on Saturday night she waits all year for Christmas.

It’s easy to see why. Santa himself doesn’t have such a devoted following.

If any entertainer feels at home on a specific holiday, it is Carey at Christmas. The sparkly gown in which she arrives is designed as a candy cane. The set is flanked by a pair of trumpet-playing angels. Grown-ups dance and children cavort across a stage outfitted like an arena-sized snow globe.

”Christmastime in Las Vegas,” running through Dec. 13, shows Carey in a comfortable sing-and-stroll through the classics. The show is a lesson in the power of nostalgia. The crowd shows up in illuminated holiday hats, bedazzled glasses, themed knit sweaters, even Santa-splashed snuggy pants.

The production is a joyous build toward the Christmas crescendo, “All I Want for Christmas is You.” As they say, if you don’t know that song, you’re at the wrong show. In the gorgeous arrangement, Carey reaches for, and hits, the famous high note in her five-octave range.

A scene from @MariahCarey Christmas residency. Her signature hit, spanning generations. @neonlasvegas pic.twitter.com/xl6wC8l0AH

— John Katsilometes (@johnnykats) November 30, 2025

Along this sleigh ride, the superstar deservedly dubbed “The Queen of Christmas” sings “Hark!l The Herald Angels Sing,” “Joy to the World,” “Here Comes Santa Claus,” and “Linus and Lucy,” better recognized as even the theme to “A Charlie Brown Christmas.”

The show plays in three acts and a finale, same format as Carey’s “Celebration of Mimi” production from April 2025 through this past May. The hits are mostly delivered in ACT III, the crowd-activating “Fantasy,” “Emotions,” “Always Be My Baby,” “Hero” among them.

Also in the sample platter, selection from her latest album, “Here for It All,” issued in September. “Jesus I Do,” “Play this Song” and “In Your Feelings” are tucked into the set list, Carey reminding she is still a busy recording artist.

Carey is a generous spirit, frequently ceding the stage to her terrific backing band and a dance team that has obviously rehearsed the heck out of this show.

In a scene that stays with you, a little girl in the troupe performs back flips the entire width of the stage. Was Cirque in the room, scouting this cast? This kid could have kept going, all the way to “Ka.” She also wore antlers and a Rudolph red-nose to complete the scene.

The entirety of the show works because you walk in feeling the Christmas spirit. Carey doesn’t need to win over this audience. She alternates her gaze between the floor monitors, which keep this sleigh on schedule, and fans who show up with vintage vinyl.

Midshow, I made a trip to the concession stand, and stood behind a stranger who was clearly a Carey fan. He turned, unprompted, and pressed his ear with his fingers, mimicking Carey’s forecast of the “whistle” note.

“When she does this,” he said, “watch out!” I laughed, “That’s what you came for, right? The guy was in a green sweater, a hat lined with flashing lights, lit up like a Christmas tree.

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John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.