Why Do We Say Merry Christmas? (And Not Happy Christmas)

Centuries ago, there was no widely accepted Christmas greeting. Instead, people tended to use different phrases to wish others a joyful time during holidays.

The most notable alternative to Merry Christmas is Happy Christmas. In fact, Happy Christmas has stuck with some to this day.

That’s especially relevant for England and Ireland, as Queen Elisabeth ll has never adapted the modern Christmas greeting.

England isn’t alone in preferring alternative Christmas greetings. You’ve likely heard Happy Holidays or Seasonal Greetings numerous times here in the US.

Despite a common misconception, the phrases aren’t an attempt to please those of other confessions. On the contrary, evidence shows they’re historically correct.

But does Merry Christmas really have a religious implication? Of course, the word “Christmas” relates to Christianity. But “merry” has nothing to do with religion.

You can safely use greetings such as Merry Holidays or Merry New Year if you wish to.

Was It Always Merry Christmas?

For starters, was Christmas always Merry? Did anyone ever use “Happy Christmas,” “Festive Christmas,” or “Pleasant Christmas”? How long back does the phrase we’re all used to today date?

Of course, like everything in this world, the tradition to say Merry Christmas didn’t exist forever.

Before it appeared, people used different Christmas greetings, specifically “Happy Christmas” in the UK, Ireland, the US, and many other regions.

In 1837, an American author Clement Clark Moore wrote the poem “T’was the Night Before Christmas.”

It features one of the most famous descriptions of modern Santa Claus as a jolly and plump old man with a white beard. This poem ends with “Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night.”

Charles Dickens

Some historians attribute the modern Merry Christmas greeting to famous English author Charles Dickens.

His novella “A Christmas Carol” was published back in 1843, only a few years later than Clement Clarke Moore’s “T’was the Night before Christmas.”

The novella narrates the story of an elderly miser Ebenezer Scrooge, who encounters the ghost of his former colleague and Christmas Spirits. This visit transforms Scrooge into a kind and generous person.

But the narrative of the novella isn’t the point of today’s story. In this book, Charles Dickens uses the traditional today Merry Christmas over 20 times in different forms.

However, the first time his book was published, Dickens has out the comma before the word “Merry.” “God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen!” was changed to “God bless you, merry gentlemen!” only a few years later.

However, Dickens wasn’t the only one who used the phrase Merry Christmas in 1843. On a Christmas card sent by Sir Henry Cole, we can see the same greeting with the wording “A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to You.”

A piece of literature that has confirmed Dickens’ use of “Merry Christmas” was the infamous “We Wish You a Merry Christmas (and a happy New Year).” British author Arthur Warrell wrote it in 1935.

This wasn’t that long ago, right?

Before Warrell’s carol came out on the radio, the Merry Christmas greeting wasn’t widely accepted. Although some people started using the greeting after Dickens’ novella, Warrell helped establish it as a tradition.

A Letter to Bishop

So, the Merry Christmas greeting author is either Charles Dickens or Sir Henry Cole, then? The answer is a definite no.

Neither of them has invented the phrase out of the blue. Historians count numerous uses of this greeting centuries before Dickens and Cole popularized it.

The first recording of Merry Christmas use dates back to the 16th century. In 1543, a British Catholic bishop John Fisher wrote a letter to Thomas Cromwell, at that time a lawyer and salesman who became a chief minister to King Henry VIII.

The latter quoted: “And this our Lord God send you a Merry Christmas, and a comfortable, to your heart’s desire.” Does this mean that the greeting has religious roots? Not really.

The expression “be or make merry” on its own means to be joyful or bring joy.

In other words, the greeting encourages people to be cheerful and have a wonderful holiday. There’s nothing religious about that, even though a bishop first used the phrase.

Dickens’ quote “God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen,” doesn’t belong to him at all.

Instead, it appears in the name of a British traditional Christmas carol, also known as “Tidings of Comfort and Joy,” written at an unknown date but published in modern form in 1760.

So, the intention of using Merry Christmas in the 16th-18th centuries was to shorten the phrase “God rest you cheerful and bountiful, gentlemen,” which would be a bit long to sing.

Queen Elizabeth

Queen Elizabeth ll of Great Britain didn’t adopt the modern greeting and still typically uses the old-fashioned version of it in her annual broadcasts.

For instance, in one of her first Christmas greetings, only four years after coronation, Queen Elisabeth ll quotes: “And so I wish you all, young and old, wherever you may be, all the fun and enjoyment and the peace of a very happy Christmas.”

She isn’t alone in the royal family to prefer the Happy Christmas greeting. In 1956, the Duke of Edinburgh said in his Christmas broadcast:

“From all the members of the family gathered here today, our very best good wishes go out to you and everyone on board Britannia as you voyage together in the far southern seas. Happy Christmas from us all.” The broadcast yet again ended with, “I wish you all a Happy Christmas and a Happy New Year.”

Nearly 70 years later, Queen Elisabeth ll is still dedicated to her favorite greeting. In 2020, she quoted:

“Let the light of Christmas – the spirit of selflessness, love, and above all hope – guide us in the times ahead. It is in that spirit that I wish you a very happy Christmas.”

Of course, such loyalty to the Happy Christmas greeting helped popularize it in modern Britain and Ireland. Many people of the countries, young and old, use it frequently, yet not all of them know the reason for such popularity.

Happy Holidays

Today in the US, many people debate over whether you should use Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas. Although Happy Holidays sound more inclusive to people of other religions, the phase isn’t a modern invention either.

The first recorded use of Happy Holidays in the US dates to 1863, published in the Philadelphian Inquirer. In the middle of the 20th century, the greeting was already well established in America.

So, tobacco advertisements published in the Carolina Magazine between 1935 and 1942 proclaimed: “A gift of Camels says, ‘Happy Holidays and Happy Smoking!'”.

But Happy Holidays wasn’t the only alternative to Merry Christmas in the US. Some 1930s’ads quote “Seasonal Greetings” instead.

From this historical evidence, we can conclude that Merry Christmas is merely a British greeting.

However, even the British don’t always prefer it to Happy Christmas, despite the popularity of Charles Dickens’ carol. In the US, people have always used different variations of Christmas greetings.

The truth is that alternative greetings’ popularity has only risen in the last few years due to businesses seeking to become more inclusive.

A 2016 survey by Public Religion Research Institute shows that 47% of companies preferred to greet their customers with Happy Holidays or Seasonal Greetings, and only 46% still stuck with Merry Christmas.

Is Christmas Still Merry Today?

The Merry Christmas greeting is a hot topic for dispute to this day.

Some argue it has religious roots and thus shouldn’t be used today not to exclude people of other confessions. Others believe Christmas greetings should address Christians in the first place.

So, should you still use Merry Christmas today? It’s a justifiable concern. The modern US is home to people of different religions, but winter holidays fall on the same dates for everyone.

A 2016 survey by Public Religion Research Institute shows that there’s a difference in opinions regarding this topic depending on respondents’ political views.

The respondents were asked, “Do you think stores and businesses should greet their customers with Happy Holidays or Seasonal Greetings instead of Merry Christmas?”.

Again, the results are astonishing – 67% of Republicans have answered with a definite “No,” while 66% of Democrats agreed.

Both points of view can be supported with adequate arguments and have the right to exist. Perhaps, you could stick with saying Merry Christmas to Christians if you’re used to it.

But it’s important to remain considerate of others and avoid using this greeting with people of different confessions. Happy Holidays or Seasonal Greetings are safe options nonetheless and also historically correct.

Christmas Greeting in Other Countries

Even though Christianity is a common religion in many regions of the world, linguistic differences play a role. For example, some countries have a completely different translation of Christmas greetings.

So, in Russia and Eastern Europe, people don’t use the word “merry.” Instead, they say simply “Congratulations on Christmas” or “Happy Christmas.” In France, Spain, Germany, and Denmark, people prefer “Happy Holidays.”

After all, the way you greet others with Christmas isn’t all that important. What truly matters is your actions and how you treat those around you.