Skip to main content

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

Where to watch Mariah Carey: Merry Christmas to All! for free

Every Christmas brings several traditions that almost everyone experiences: shopping for impossible-to-find presents, traveling to see relatives you barely know or tolerate, watching live sports while digesting unhealthy food, and watching A Christmas Story on a constant, eternal loop.

And from Nov. 1 to Dec. 31, there is one person who rules the pop culture landscape. No, it’s not Santa Claus — it’s Mariah Carey! The “elusive chanteuse” has deemed herself the “Queen of Christmas” largely due to her hit holiday song “All I Want For Christmas is You.” Now, she’s invading everyone’s eyeballs as well as their eardrums with her new holiday special, Mariah Carey: Merry Christmas to All! But where can one watch it?

How can you watch Mariah Carey: Merry Christmas to All! for free?

Mariah Carey sings in Merry Christmas to All!
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The Mariah Carey: Merry Christmas to All! special will be available for free for anyone who has a TV set, an antenna, and clear reception. The special will be broadcast this year on CBS. Check your local listings for the correct channel.

Where is the special streaming?

If you are a cord-cutter or prefer a streaming option, don’t worry! There are plenty of options. Mariah Carey: Merry Christmas to All! will stream on Paramount+.

While Mariah Carey: Merry Christmas to All! may lure you to Paramount+, there are many more shows and movies available on the platform to make a subscription worth your while. Shows like The Good FightStar Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, and The Twilight Zone and hit movies like The Lost City, Orphan: First Kill, and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 are just a few of the titles that you won’t want to miss.

When can you watch Mariah Carey: Merry Christmas to All!?

The Mariah Carey: Merry Christmas to All! special will be broadcast on CBS and streamed live on Paramount+ at tonight at 8 p.m. ET. The program is scheduled to last two hours and end around 10 p.m. ET.

Watch Mariah Carey: Merry Christmas to All! on CBS

After its initial broadcast, the special will be available on demand on Paramount+.

How much does it cost?

If you watch it on CBS, it’s free!

If you want to stream it on Paramount+, it depends on what kind of plan you prefer. To take advantage of the free trial, simply head to the Paramount+ website to sign up. Your first seven days will be free, but after the trial period, subscription plans start as low as $5 per month. That option (called “Essential”) comes with limited commercial interruptions. If you don’t want any ads, the Premium monthly subscription will cost you $10 a month.

You can save money if you commit to a one-year subscription. An Essential annual subscription is $50 a year, while a Premium annual subscription is $100. You can also bundle the Paramount+ subscription with a Showtime subscription for $12 a month or $120 a year. You can head over to the website for more info on all Paramount+ subscription plans.

Is it worth watching Mariah Carey: Merry Christmas to All!?

Mariah Carey - All I Want for Christmas Is You (Make My Wish Come True Edition)

If you like Carey and want to get into the holiday spirit, sure. The special is essentially a live taping of her holiday concert at Madison Square Garden, so don’t expect a lot of narrative cohesion or deep thinking. This special is made for fans who can’t get enough of holiday songs, and Carey, to her credit, is a talented vocalist. She clearly loves Christmas, and her enthusiasm is infectious.

Editors' Recommendations

Jason Struss
Section Editor, Entertainment
Jason is a writer, editor, and pop culture enthusiast whose love for cinema, television, and cheap comic books has led him to…
Where to watch Love Actually
Keira Knightley and Chiwetel Ejiofor in Love Actually.

Most romantic comedies tend to focus on one or two couples. However, Love Actually ups the ante with eight different couples throughout the film, and you might need a scorecard to keep up with them all. Director Richard Curtis assembled an all-star cast for his ultimate rom-com. And it's also a Christmas movie!

Love Actually plays well year-round, but it's become a holiday favorite over the last two decades. This year also marks the 20th anniversary for Love Actually, which makes it the perfect time to revisit this classic flick -- preferably with someone you love. But for the single folks, there's a lot to like here as well.
Where is Love Actually streaming?

Read more
Where to watch A Christmas Story
Peter Billingsley in "A Christmas Story."

This year marks the 40th anniversary of A Christmas Story, one of the most beloved holiday movies of all time. But it wasn't always celebrated as a classic. With the passage of time, most have forgotten that A Christmas Story was only moderately successful in theaters (it made $19.2 million at the box office). It wasn't until TNT and TBS began regularly airing A Christmas Story during the holiday season that the film's popularity really took off.

The film was based on Jean Shepherd's novel In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash, which was inspired by his life. Shepherd even has a role in the film as the voice of an older Ralph Parker who narrates the story. But the bulk of the movie belongs to young Peter Billingsley as Ralphie, a 9-year-old kid who has a very specific request for Christmas: a Red Ryder Carbine Action 200-shot Range Model air rifle. Of course, a child that age shouldn't be playing with guns, hence the film's running gag and iconic catchphrase: "You'll shoot your eye out, kid."

Read more
The best Christmas movies on Disney+ right now
Nick and Eddie Garrick in a still of Dashing Through the Snow.

With the holiday season around the corner, Disney+ is one of the best streamers to watch Christmas movies. With the overall brand's lean toward family-friendly offerings, it's no wonder that there is plenty of holiday-themed content on this platform.

Whether audiences are looking for a live-action or animated feature, there is plenty of Christmas movie content to sift through on Disney+ and find something to suit your tastes. The service's library is packed with contemporary hits and long-time classics ranging from short films, heartwarming family features, Mickey Mouse, or seasonal fare set in the Star Wars or Marvel universes. There's more than enough holiday atmosphere to go around on this list of the best Christmas movies on Disney+.

Read more