The exact first usage of โMerry Christmasโ is not entirely known, but we can assume it is somewhere around the 16th century.
Around this time in history, the word โmerryโ was much more commonly-used than it is in modern times.
โMerry Christmasโ is the go-to greeting in America during Christmastime. In parts of Europe, such as Great Britain and Ireland, it is โHappy Christmasโ.
However, the more general term of โHappy Holidaysโ may be used on both sides of the world.ย ย ย ย
โMerry Christmasโ in Early Worksย
In a letter dated 1534, a man named John Fisher wrote to Thomas Cromwell well wishes and used the phrase โMerry Christmas [sic]โ in his blessing.
fisher was a Catholic bishop, and Cromwell was King Henry VIIIโs minister, among other roles. The letter between these two Englishmen is the earliest known record of these words together.ย
Around this time, the well-known carol โGod Rest You Merry, Gentlemenโ was also penned in England, and officially published later, in 1760. Notice that the comma seems misplaced in this title, but actually is not.ย ย
In those days, โrestโ could mean something along the lines of โcontinue to remainโ, and โmerryโ would refer to being prosperous (instead of todayโs meaning of โcheeryโ).
Nowadays, this has been updated to its new meaning, as we sing โGod rest you (or โyeโ), Merry Gentlemenโ.ย
In 1823, โTwas the Night Before Christmas was written with the ending of โHappy Christmas to all, and to all a goodnightโ.
The original phrase remained for 20 years or so, but now many versions have made the switch to โMerry Christmasโ.
This change came after a series of related events from that era.ย
The phrase โMerry Christmasโ was capitalized and used as a proper greeting in Charles Dickensโ famous tale โA Christmas Carolโ, which was published in December of 1843 by Londonโs Chapman & Hall.ย
This book came about during a time when Christmas traditions throughout the country were being re-evaluated in a sense.
New traditions were being explored and reading (or later, watching) โA Christmas Carolโ quickly became one. By Christmas Eve of that same year, the first edition had already sold out.ย
Also in 1843, Sir Henry Cole sent the first Christmas card. It carried the common holiday phrase that we still use today โA Merry Christmas and a Happy New Yearโ.ย ย
As the term โMerry Christmasโ gained popularity over the following decades, another (now familiar) Christmas carol was published in 1935.
The song cheerily repeats โWe wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!โย ย
Gradually, โMerry Christmasโ became the preferred term in America, although the others are accepted.ย
Christmas Greetings Todayย
In America, the trend of using โMerry Christmasโ over โHappy Christmasโ has officially stuck to our vocabulary.
Although, in the more politically-correct modern days, many people have made a switch to โHappy Holidaysโ.ย
However, in England, โHappy Christmasโ still tends to be preferred, as Queen Elizabeth II and her royal family have always continued to use it in their broadcasts.ย ย
A Grammar Note from the Desk of Santa Clausย
Note that we only capitalize each word in the phrase if it is used as a greeting.
If โmerryโ or โhappyโ are used as basic adjectives in a sentence (such as in, โWe had a very happy Christmas that year.โ), the word should not be led by a capital letter.ย
The word โhappyโ stems from โhapโ, which indicates an element of chance or hope. โMerryโ is an adjective that implies a state of being cheerful.ย
While the word โmerryโ is no longer commonly used (other than when referring to Christmas and its themes), it seems that the phrase โMerry Christmasโ will forever stay in our homes and hearts.
Learn More With the Help of Video
Main Points About Merry Christmas vs Happy Christmas
- Merry Christmas is frequently used by the American people while Happy Christmas is commonly used by the British.
- Happy describes inner emotional conditions too deep to demonstrate. While merry depicts an active behavior of boisterous gaiety, mostly raucous.
- The use of Merry Christmas dates back to the Victorian era when the Methodist church members wanted to promote sobriety among the working-class people.
- Making merry was associated with alcohol and it was greatly frowned upon especially if associated with the birth of Jesus. To them, the phrase happy Christmas conveyed sobriety.
- Merry Christmas was further popularized by Charles Dickensโ A Christmas Carol. The carol โWe wish you a Merry Christmas also further asserted the usage of the phrase.
Conclusion
Both Americans and British people use both merry and happy Christmas as a greeting but it seems โHappyโ is more common in American English.
โHappy Christmasโ became popular in a Christmas Carol, but Queen Elizabeth II continued to use the phrase โMerry Christmasโ and this is probably why this is still the most common phrase in Britain and Ireland.
Word Cloud for Merry Christmas vs Happy Christmas
The following is a collection of the most used terms in this article on Merry Christmas vs Happy Christmas. This should help in recalling related terms as used in this article at a later stage for you.
References
- https://grammarist.com/spelling/merry-christmas-vs-happy-christmas/
- https://www.csmonitor.com/The-Culture/In-a-Word/2018/1220/Merry-versus-Happy-Christmas
- https://www.quora.com/Why-do-people-in-England-say-Happy-Christmas-but-it-s-Merry-Christmas-in-the-US-When-did-practice-diverge
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Chara Yadav holds MBA in Finance. Her goal is to simplify finance-related topics. She has worked in finance for about 25 years. She has held multiple finance and banking classes for business schools and communities. Read more at her bio page.
