For millions of fans around the world, Michael Jackson is associated with warmth, light, and a sense of wonder. His music united people across cultures and generations, and the humanistic ideas expressed in his songs of the late 1980s and 1990s made him a symbol of compassion and care for the world. All the more surprising, then, is the fact that the ‘King of Pop’ himself did not celebrate Christmas for most of his life.
The paradox is deepened by how closely Michael Jackson’s name is linked to Christmas music. At the very beginning of his career, while still performing as part of The Jackson 5, he recorded a full holiday album with his brothers for Motown Records. Released in 1970, The Jackson 5 Christmas Album featured renditions of popular songs and quickly became an integral part of the Christmas musical canon in the United States. These recordings were played in the homes of millions of families, even though the performers themselves did not observe the holiday.
The reason was deeply personal and rooted in his upbringing. The Jackson family belonged to the religious sect Jehovah’s Witnesses, which considers the celebration of Christmas and birthdays unacceptable. Michael adhered to these beliefs for many years, well into the early 1990s, when his global fame was at its peak. Even after becoming one of the most famous and wealthy artists on the planet, he continued to avoid traditional holidays, following the religious rules instilled in him during childhood.
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Over time, Michael left the sect, but the internal restrictions did not disappear overnight. Abandoning long-held beliefs proved psychologically difficult, and feelings of guilt lingered for years, even during moments of genuine joy. This is why Christmas never became a natural part of his calendar, despite the desire of those around him to see him take part in the universal celebration.
A turning point came in 1993 thanks to Elizabeth Taylor — his close friend and one of the most important people in his life. She decided to organize the first traditional Christmas of Michael’s life, transforming the Neverland Ranch into a fairy-tale space filled with Christmas trees, lights, and festive decorations. This gesture was motivated not by outward splendor, but by a desire to give him a sense of love and acceptance, which she believed lay at the heart of the holiday. “When he stopped being a Jehovah’s Witness, I said to Michael, ‘I think Christmas is a wonderful way to celebrate love. It’s a holiday of love, and I can’t imagine Christmas without Michael or Michael without Christmas,’” Taylor said.
Despite the sincere happiness Jackson felt that day, the joy was mixed with heavy emotions. Long-standing religious conditioning continued to weigh on him, and even after allowing himself to participate in the celebration for the first time, he could not fully rid himself of inner conflict. This episode vividly illustrates how complex and contradictory his inner world was — a world of a man who gave light to others yet struggled to allow himself simple human joys.
And yet that Christmas remained special for Michael Jackson. If only briefly, he touched the very sense of magic he had created for millions of listeners over the years. Perhaps this is one of the most touching aspects of his fate: the story of a man whose music became a celebration for the entire world, even if he himself remained on the sidelines of it for so long.
