I wish you a Merry Christmas...

Posted December 23, 2004 11:25 AM.

You know what drives me mad? "Happy Christmas". It's been driving me a bit nuts for a while now. Surely it's "Merry Christmas"? Cos otherwise how can you say, "Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year"? Google agrees with me: Merry Christmas (661,000 results) vs. Happy Christmas (183,000 results). So stop it, advertising wankers. Stop it TV people. Stop it, annoying card makers. Merry is better. It means drunk.

Anyway, I'm off to see the family today, so I would imagine posting will be even more sporadic than normal over the next week or so. I hope you all have a good time visiting family and stuff. I'll be back online properly in a few scant days, no doubt busting at the seams with enthusiasm and turkey and ideas and vim. In the meantime, if you want to do something good in the world, why not donate to Oxfam US, Oxfam UK or to Stonewall. And if that's all a bit worthy for you and you've enjoyed the guff I've pumped out over the last hundred years, then why not buy me a present or something. Best wishes... xx Tom

Comments

Please stay on-topic, informative and polite. I reserve the right to remove comments for whatever vague capricious reasons seem reasonable at the time.

The Irish mostly say Happy Christmas. Why this is, I don't know.

→ Posted by: Caroline at December 23, 2004 12:58 PM

Merry Christmas indeed. I had thought Happy Christmas was a British thing as I heard it in the late 80s while I was living there. If it is the media, damn them and lumps of coal in their stockings.

→ Posted by: vanderwal at December 23, 2004 1:25 PM

In Ireland we mostly say Happy Christmas. Merry Christmas sounds very British to me!!

→ Posted by: Dave at December 23, 2004 3:47 PM

I find it odd that there is a couple of people here both stating that in Ireland they say Happy Christmas because I'd always associated it with the English.

Both my Welsh and Irish relatives say Merry Christmas as do I, but then my family is a bunch of drunkards. :D

→ Posted by: electricinca at December 23, 2004 6:36 PM

It's Merry Christmas here too, in Canada. I've only heard Happy Christmas on English television...

→ Posted by: Rob at December 23, 2004 8:41 PM

I always go for Nadolig Llawen, but then, I'm a contrary bitch. ;-)

→ Posted by: Suw at December 24, 2004 12:01 PM

John and Yoko would be upset to hear this. (War is over if you want it...)

→ Posted by: j.s.f. at December 25, 2004 7:23 PM

"Merry Christmas" is said so many times that it's like a seasonal "Have a Nice Day". I like Happy Christmas because it sounds a bit different. I noticed how much I liked it when it was said in the first Harry Potter movie.

→ Posted by: Jack at December 25, 2004 10:29 PM

They work the same for me.

I put 'happy christmas and a merry new year' in my Christmas cards. But that was mostly just me being silly.

→ Posted by: Frankie Roberto at December 29, 2004 6:50 PM

I'm glad the seasonal debate is over... 'Christmas' is a contraction... we celebrated Christ's Mass until Dickens and Marketing made it Merry... So why on earth does it matter if the holiday is Merry or Happy? Just Celebrate Christ'mas and be Merry and Happy!

→ Posted by: panan at January 5, 2005 12:08 AM

The comment about "Merry" meaning "drunk" is idiotic and statement from a probable alcoholic.

→ Posted by: Mick at November 17, 2005 11:01 AM

Merry Christmas Eyeryone!

→ Posted by: DJ at December 10, 2005 10:23 PM

It was originaly "Happy Christmas and a Merry New Year" here in England. All you yanks and media/advertising atarted off the whole merry christmas thing and people here say it now too. So I try to keep the old tradition alive.

Happy Christmas and a very Merry New Year!!

(notice the date is actually christmas day!)

→ Posted by: Lex at December 25, 2005 3:42 PM

it seems most of europe says happy christmas. I grew up in a German Household..where we would say "Frohe Weinhachten" which translates to "Happy Christmas". so it's sorta normal to me

→ Posted by: Brendon Deiter at December 17, 2006 11:02 AM

Want to add your opinion?