Please include links. Thanks!
2007-12-21 11:08:00 · 15 answers · asked by Ask Mike 4 in Society & Culture ➔ Holidays ➔ Christmas
Hi Mike,
I know you would prefer more sources than just Wikipedia for cross referencing http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog-d8pH0dcoRKeB12yOcnUQp.9VCFos?tag=wikipedia , but this is all I could find that directly answers your question.
The alternative "Happy Christmas" gained wide usage in the late 19th century, and is still common in the United Kingdom and Ireland. One reason may be the alternative meaning, still current there, of "merry" as "tipsy" or "drunk". Queen Elizabeth II is said to prefer "Happy Christmas" for this reason. An American poet Clement Moore's "A Visit from St. Nicholas" (1823) http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/bl_visit_from_st_nicholas.htm , the final line, originally written as "Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night", has been changed in many editions to "Merry Christmas to all", perhaps indicating the relative popularity of the phrases in the United States.
2007-12-21 11:58:02 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 9⤊ 0⤋
We Americans and our British friends often have different words or phrases for things. I list some examples below:
American - British
elevator - lift
argument - row
grocery cart - trolley
bathroom - lavatory
subway - tube (my personal favorite)
I am sure there are more, but I suspect that this is the reason why we say "Merry Christmas" and they say "Happy Christmas".
2007-12-23 10:30:39 · answer #2 · answered by nwwghiaftc 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I think it's another case of two nations being divided by a common language.
Merry/Happy Christmas
The greetings and farewells "Merry Christmas" and "Happy Christmas" are traditionally used in North America, the United Kingdom, and Ireland beginning a few weeks prior to the Christmas holiday on December 25 of every year. "Merry" dominates in North America; "Happy" in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holiday_Greetings
Wishing you and yours a very Happy Christmas and a Prosperous New Year, from me and mine from across the pond.
2007-12-21 22:15:08 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 2⤋
Well Esther if America is so blessed then why is the economy falling. America is still sending money to the state of Israel and we are still sinking into deeper and deeper recession; heading into a border line hyper-inflation So how can this be? If America is constantly standing up for Israel and going to bat for Israel and sending billions to them then how is it that America is in the worse shape ever and will only get worser and worser. Something is not right?
2016-04-10 12:04:40 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Ahaha, I'm British and I say 'Merry Christmas' so I think it's just different people.
2014-08-20 15:14:57 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, not true. I'm from UK and we always say "Merry Christmas"
2007-12-21 22:48:47 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 1⤋
Perhaps, but I'm not 100% on it
2016-07-30 10:24:02 · answer #7 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Merry and Happy virtually mean the same thing. I think it is just a cultural thing.
2007-12-21 11:22:41 · answer #8 · answered by Alwyn C 5 · 3⤊ 4⤋
I've never known that to happen.. I always thought they said:
"Merry Christmas. Happy new year."
So do they say:
"Happy Christmas. Merry new year"?
2007-12-21 11:19:20 · answer #9 · answered by Berry h 2 · 6⤊ 6⤋
It's just a dialect thing.
2007-12-22 05:04:21 · answer #10 · answered by That Gay Guy for Da Ben Dan 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋