Here’s the Origin of ‘Merry Christmas’ and Why We Say It Today
Merry Christmas #MerryChristmas
The Meaning Behind Your Favorite Christmas Traditions
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December 25 is just around the corner, and you’ve no doubt been sending “Merry Christmas” wishes to everyone from your grocery store cashier to your friends and family members. You’ve probably also been signing the phrase in all your Instagram captions and Christmas cards this year—after all, it’s the ultimate Christmas wish in the U.S.!
But have you ever stopped to wonder where the phrase “Merry Christmas” actually comes from? After all, for most other holidays, we use the word “happy.” In a world where “Happy Easter” and “Happy Birthday” are the norm, that “merry” part of “Merry Christmas” is unique—to say the least.
No one is entirely certain of the answer, but there are several interesting theories.
Yes! For starters, it’s important to note that “Happy Christmas” hasn’t faded completely—it’s still widely used in England. This is believed to be because “happy” took on a higher class connotation than “merry,” which was associated with the rowdiness of the lower classes. The royal family adopted “Happy Christmas” as their preferred greeting, and others took note. (In fact, each year, Queen Elizabeth continues to wish her citizens a “Happy Christmas,” rather than a merry one.)
But “Merry Christmas” has been used since at least 1534—a dated letter from bishop John Fisher to Henry VIII’s chief minister Thomas Cromwell reveals as much. The English carol, “We Wish You a Merry Christmas,” which was introduced in the 1500s, also uses the popular phrase.
Historians believe it might boil down to a simple grammatical lesson. “Happy” is a word that describes an inner emotional condition, while “merry” is more of a behavior descriptor—something active and maybe even raucous. Consider, for example, the free-spirited act of “merry-making” versus the state of simply “being happy.”
As both words evolved and changed meaning over time, people slowly stopped using “merry” as its own individual word during the 18th and 19th centuries. It stuck around in common phrases like “the more, the merrier,” as well as in things like Christmas songs and stories, largely due to the influence of Charles Dickens. The Victorian Christmas went on to define many of today’s Christmas traditions.
It’s no wonder that now, when we hear “Merry Christmas,” we hear something sentimental. Even the word “merry” on its own now makes us think of December 25.