Why Do We Say Merry Christmas
Merry christmas and happy christmas.
Why do we say merry christmas. Merry christmas happy holidays and happy christmas can still work to convey sincere good wishes of course if you know your audience. Historians and linguists can t pinpoint for sure exactly why we tend to use merry christmas. Rebekah lowin lifestyle editor rebekah lowin is the lifestyle editor for the pioneer woman covering food entertaining home decor crafting gardening and holiday. Today we use merry for christmas the way we use happy for any other holiday but the words themselves technically.
In recent years the debate over whether to say merry christmas or happy holidays has become as reliable a post thanksgiving tradition as the black friday shopping craze. The greeting dates back to at least 1534 in london when it was written in a letter sent to henry viii s chief minister thomas cromwell from bishop john fisher. The same goes for when you turn on your favorite christmas tunes. But what if you want to say hi.
Take a similar stroll down the streets of london and you may hear friendly voices wishing you a happy christmas instead. Merry was also the word of choice for dickens and in carols so much so that the pull of merry grew stronger and it even changed the last line of the night before christmas which originally was happy christmas to all and to all a good night because this victorian era christmas traditions defined the way we celebrate christmas. Plus find out exactly why we celebrate christmas on december 25. We wish people a happy birthday and if you re in the usa in november and december you might say happy holidays so why do we say merry christmas more often than happy christmas.
The word merry isn t one we use very often during the months of january through november. We wish you a merry christmas or john lennon s happy christmas war is over. Even the word merry on its own now makes us think of december 25. It s no wonder that now when we hear merry christmas we hear something sentimental.
Christmas history in the uk. But as soon as thanksgiving passes you re bound to start hearing and seeing it everywhere on. In the first commercial christmas card that came out in 1843 the verse a merry christmas and a happy new year to you was shown.