Christmas artist Elizabeth Chan will have a very happy holiday this year, because she was able to legally prevent Mariah Carey from trademarking the phrase “Queen of Christmas.” Had Mariah done so, she could have sued anyone for using it. Elizabeth says the response she’s gotten has been overwhelmingly positive.

“It was very difficult for me because I couldn’t really talk on social media about anything,” she tells ABC Audio. “When you’re in a lawsuit, you just have to kind of lay low. And when the news came out and people understood what I had been … working through in the last year … the support is astounding.”

Elizabeth says she’s surprised at how many people — “people who really understand Christmas,” she says — reached out to express their gratitude.

“I mean, I’ve gotten hundreds and hundreds of emails and texts and DMs of just, ‘Thank you so much for doing this … no one should own Christmas in this way, and you really helped all of us.’ It’s special.”

Another reason for Elizabeth to be happy is that her new single, “Merry Merry,” is doing so well. She says writing it helped distract her from obsessing over the Mariah lawsuit.

“I was just so happy to be in my safe space that when I was writing that song … I forgot about everything,” she says. “The song poured out of me.” 

She came up with the concept after jokingly asking her friend Jerry, who was helping make her new album, 12 Months of Christmas, “Hey, Jerry! Are ya merry?” She then turned that chant into a disco holiday tune.

“This song is approachable for everybody of all ages. I never say the word ‘Christmas’ in it,” she notes. “It’s a celebratory song for everyone who wants to celebrate during the holidays.” 

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