Happy Christmas, not "Happy Holidays" please! Post Reply

[MonkeyTeddy]

We were a little disappointed to receive our always-welcome NVN newsletter yesterday with the title "Wishing you all a very Happy Festive Break" and not even a mention of Christmas!
The whole reason we have this festival is because of Christ (OK, I know the winter solstice was hijacked by the Church but that's ancient history) and we are still, nominally at least, a Christian country. And in this household, despite all of us being either atheist or agnostic, we like to keep the tradition of wishing people a Merry Christmas or a Happy Christmas.
Happy New Year everyone! 

[Expatacular]

In your own household you may prefer "Happy Christmas" but the NVN newsletter is not a personal Christmas card being sent exclusively to your household. It is sent to a large, diverse community that includes plenty of people who celebrate non-Xmas holidays at this time of year. 47% of Wandsworth and Lambeth identify as non-Christian.

[chorister]

That’s true but they get a holiday only because of a Christmas tradition established largely by a Christian Victorian culture. We are expected to acknowledge many other cultural influences so why not that one too?

[juliantenniscoach]

English Heritage has an interested page on their website. Christmas as we know it began and evolved during the Victorian era to celebrate the birth of Christ.  Interesting enough holidays were a personal matter and Christmas was only made a public holiday in 1958 and Boxing Day only became a Bank holiday in 1974! Previously it was a Public Holiday under an 1871 Act of Parliament. 

But its origins as a 'holiday' are clearly rooted in the Christian celebration of the birth of Christ.

See:-
The History of Christmas | English Heritage (english-heritage.org.uk)
Where did bank holidays originate from? (timetastic.co.uk)


 

[Hattiethedog]

I think I prefer happy Christmas. Anything else seems a bit like avoiding the obvious issue. I worked for an Indian company for years. They would wish me Happy Christmas and I would wish them Happy Diwali. And no one ever thought about it.

[Denwand]

Interesting.

I am not religious as such but always cringe if I see the phrases "Happy Holidays" , or worse "Tis the Season" (ugh!) since they are horrible "Americanisations" of our English language.

Also the substitution of "Xmas" for Christmas makes me cringe - as if Christ needs to be pushed out of Christmas altogether.

But I have noted that my practising Christian (mostly protestant) friends and family members make a point of saying "Happy Christmas" instead of "MERRY Christmas" in a strange throwback to Cromwell's interregnum where the very idea of Hoi Polloi enjoying themselves is actually repugnant to the Roundheads and "Merry" was seen as a synonym for being a bit tipsy!

So MERRY Christmas is the only phrase that works, but I always say "Happy Diwali" and "Happy Eid" and "Happy Chanukah" to anyone who practises these religions.

So a Very MERRY Christmas and a HAPPY New Year to all of you!

[Kirstie’s Mom]

Interesting about Merry versus Happy especially since Americans wish a Merry Christmas never a Happy Christmas
Happy Holidays crept in to the American vernacular mostly because of Atheists having kittens that anything religious was creeping into culture.
It’s the season is awful but I don’t think you can blame Americans for that .

[chorister]

Either way, with all the stuff going on around the world, I guess we could all agree that we are happy to live in a society where this even gets a mention!

[dudette]

Interesting.

I am not religious as such but always cringe if I see the phrases "Happy Holidays" , or worse "Tis the Season" (ugh!) since they are horrible "Americanisations" of our English language.

Also the substitution of "Xmas" for Christmas makes me cringe - as if Christ needs to be pushed out of Christmas altogether.

But I have noted that my practising Christian (mostly protestant) friends and family members make a point of saying "Happy Christmas" instead of "MERRY Christmas" in a strange throwback to Cromwell's interregnum where the very idea of Hoi Polloi enjoying themselves is actually repugnant to the Roundheads and "Merry" was seen as a synonym for being a bit tipsy!

So MERRY Christmas is the only phrase that works, but I always say "Happy Diwali" and "Happy Eid" and "Happy Chanukah" to anyone who practises these religions.

So a Very MERRY Christmas and a HAPPY New Year to all of you!

The use of Xmas for Christmas dates back hundreds of years - X is for the Greek letter Chi which is the first letter of Christ in Greek. It’s not just modern people being lazy.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xmas#:~:text=The%20'X'%20comes%20from%20the,Old%20English%20word%20for%20Mass.

[Denwand]

The use of Xmas for Christmas dates back hundreds of years - X is for the Greek letter Chi which is the first letter of Christ in Greek. It’s not just modern people being lazy.

Good point that I didn't realise

Another point;

"Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year" is a well rounded and satisfying phrase - "Happy Christmas and a Happy New Year" just sounds clumsy to me in comparison

[Denwand]

...and I forgot to mention the very WORST expression of a Christmas greeting!

Urrrgh!

[mariahcarey]

We were a little disappointed to receive our always-welcome NVN newsletter yesterday with the title "Wishing you all a very Happy Festive Break" and not even a mention of Christmas!
wordle
The whole reason we have this festival is because of Christ (OK, I know the winter solstice was hijacked by the Church but that's ancient history) and we are still, nominally at least, a Christian country. And in this household, despite all of us being either atheist or agnostic, we like to keep the tradition of wishing people a Merry Christmas or a Happy Christmas.
Happy New Year everyone! 

It is a tradition. I understand your sentiment and respect your preference for a traditional Christmas greeting.