The festive season is here! Are you ready for Christmas? We know we are! There is so much to do, before Christmas day arrives on December 25. People are all busy decorating the house for the celebration. Even though, we are in the middle of a pandemic; the festive spirit is alive among us. The holiday season always brings us a lot of cheer and joy, and this time, adding a little more meaning and hope to it, Christmas 2021 is about to be one of the most memorable festivals. But before you begin with the celebration, there are a few things; you must be clarified. Not only the list of gifts that you should never present to your closed ones, but you should also know the appropriate way to wish someone on Christmas 2021. Merry or Mary Christmas? Is it correct to say Happy Christmas? These are some questions that might often occur to you during the holiday season, and you fear to mess up with seasons greetings. In this article, we bring you what the correct way is and how to wish your friends, family and more on Christmas 2021.

Have a Merry/ Mary/ Marry Christmas?

It is the season of merry! But depending on who you talk to, it might not sound the same every time. It is easy to get confused whether it is Merry, Mary or Marry Christmas. This is because how people pronounce the word ‘merry’ is at the heart of one of the most interesting divides in American English. The presence of an R shapes the way we articulate the vowel before it. Hence, people who treat the R’s different wind up with varying pronunciations of the same word, much like ‘very,’ ‘fairy’ or ‘harry.’ During the holiday season, we wish and say, ‘Merry Christmas!’

Is it Correct to Say Happy Christmas?

In a world where ‘Happy Easter,’ and ‘Happy Birthday,’ are the norm, ‘merry’ part of ‘Merry Christmas’ is unique. It is important to note that ‘Happy Christmas’ is widely used in England. Both ‘happy’ and ‘merry’ can mean ‘characterised by pleasure, joyous.’ However, both words evolved and changed meaning over time. The royal family adopted ‘Happy Christmas’ as their preferred greeting and others followed the same. Each year, Queen Elizabeth II continues to wish her citizens a ‘Happy Christmas.’ Again, people in America prefer to wish ‘Merry Christmas’ on the holiday season.

Even popular English carol, ‘We Wish You a Merry Christmas’ which was introduced in the 1500s, uses the popular phrase. The word ‘merry’ stuck around in common phrases, as well as things like Christmas songs and stories. It is no wonder that only the word ‘merry’ on its own makes us think of December 25. Celebrate the holiday season with free-spirit, happiness and joy and hope that all of us develop more strength and positivity to survive the ongoing global health crisis.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 24, 2021 06:35 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).