while it seems everyone else says ‘happy christmas’
which imo is a way better phrase, it’s very … pragmatic. happiness is more attainable than merriment. how often is anyone merry?
Merry Christmas is a popular expression in the UK too.
I think that merriment is actually much easier to attain than happiness. One could be miserable in life, but have a few drinks and be merry.
Is it wrong for me to say that the pessimism with a side of alcohol is the most British you could possibly describe being merry?
Personally, merry Christmas just sounds better than happy Christmas. Something about the repeated “m” sound, I think.
That’s called euphonics, and I agree
It was bad when Hitler did it and I’m not going to suddenly start agreeing with it.
It’s Christmas! Let the guy do a little euphonics if it makes him happy.
Euphonics?
Replace “euphonics” with “eugenics” and the joke will make sense
The song goes “We wish you a merry Christmas”, so that’ll always be there for as long as the song is popular.
Plus (also because of the song, I assume), you say “merry Christmas and a happy new year”, not “happy Christmas and a happy new year”. Too much happy there.
In my country we say “Have a good Yule”.
God jul!
God jul och glad fortsättning!
Yule see, yule all see!
Insofar as there’s a distinction between the two, I feel like you’ve got it switched. Merriment would be a night out with drinks and friends, whereas deep happiness would be more like contentedness with your life choices. But they’re about the same. Plus “A Christmas Carol” uses Merry, and it’s like the ultimate Christmas story.
Tradition, mostly.
Dickens used Merry Christmas in his Christmas Carol and the US used the greeting since the 19th century.
In the UK however, happy christmas is more common as the royals used that phrase.
There’s apparently no big thing behind it. Just the way language evolved with different influences in different regions.
Canada says Merry Christmas even though we usually do British spelling and measurements.
Also, the north pole is either in Canada or Russia (not going to look it up) so we are probably correct.
The area around the north pole is just ice without any land underneath. It’s also not part of any nation.
We like to brag about our ability to still pronounce the R sound.
Similar to why Brits say Happy Christmas, honestly.
Lol no. You yanks can’t pronounce the R. The only real R is a rolling R. If your tongue is not tapping and vibrating against your palate you are not pronouncing an R.
deleted by creator
Dude it was a joke. The first comment was a joke, and the reply was a follow-up “no u” joke. I’m sorry you can’t read into subtext without /s
Also, Spanish R? Have you not heard of Scots? It’s called apical-alveolar trill, and I wish i could pronounce it better lol
deleted by creator
fingerguns.gif
If Americans aren’t pronouncing an R, then what letter are they pronouncing?
[ɹ]
There’s a slight chance I could be convinced to accept the french R into the company of real R sounds, but I agree the rolling one is where it’s at. The American one is something special.
Around here we wish you a homosexual Christmas
Bah humbug
The only people I’ve personally known who exclusively say “Happy Christmas” are Irish. Are you Irish, OP?
Happy Chrimbo
Automatic response. Nobody that I am close with is actually happy (or even fine), but when staff asks you in greeting if you’re having a good day and did you find everything okay, you know they are bullshitting the “I’m doing well, and yes, thanks”. Same sort of automatic bullshit response.
We are living paycheck to paycheck (some not even that), with slowly rising levels of debt, in dead-end jobs while the earth slowly boils us and rich fucks get richer. In tight-knit circles, suicide is often discussed openly and often, and death is welcomed. My best friend recently told me that (if they die before me, as if lol) when I attend the funeral, if anyone suggests that they had a happy life, I am to punch that person in the face, without hesitation.
Life is pain. But it’s so much quicker to fake that your existence isn’t hell, so lying to people in ways that doesn’t matter is way easier.
Happy holidays.
Merry also means drunk - at least in common British English.
Therefore it is quite an easy state to attain either from the offy, or a few pubs tat are also open for a few hours in the afternoon.But you are hoping for the best for someone else. Better wish them to be merry than just happy then?
