# Are you a Merrier or a Happier?! **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 25, 2009, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-merrier-or-a-happier/522539 "2009-12-25T11:53:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![I\_Have\_Hippos\_In\_My\_Garden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/4491bb/32.png) [@I\_Have\_Hippos\_In\_My\_Garden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Have_Hippos_In_My_Garden)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2009, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-merrier-or-a-happier/522539/1 "2009-12-25T11:53:13Z")
When calling out Christmas greetings or writing Christmas cards do you use ‘Merry’, ‘Happy’, or some other way of saying ‘Have a good Christmas’?! And what makes you use that way?! Do you even care or are consistent in what you say?! ---
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2009, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-merrier-or-a-happier/522539/2 "2009-12-25T13:07:44Z")
Hi Hippos, Merry Christmas ! ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2009, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-merrier-or-a-happier/522539/3 "2009-12-25T14:19:09Z")
I don’t know anyone who says Happy Christmas, only Happy Holidays (or Hannukah or Kwanzaa or Solstice or Saturnalia, or whatever), and even that’s rare around here, considering I’m in the middle of the Southern US. I mostly say Merry Christmas, except to fellow atheists or non-Christians. ---
**Author:** ![DianaG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ab992/32.png) [@DianaG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DianaG)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2009, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-merrier-or-a-happier/522539/4 "2009-12-25T14:34:11Z")
I’m a Happy Holidays-er throughout the month, but a Merry Christmas-er on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. And I say it to pretty much anyone. I’m an atheist, but I love me some Christmas (hold the Jesus). Anyone who’d be offended by “Merry Christmas” on Christmas Day is an asshole, just like anyone who’d be offended by “Happy Chanukah” during Chanukah. ---
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2009, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-merrier-or-a-happier/522539/5 "2009-12-25T15:36:04Z")
I say Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. I suspect Americans are more like to be Merry than Happy on Christmas Day. It’s an old-fangled world so it suits our Christmas nostalgia. Happy Crimbo, Hippos! ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2009, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-merrier-or-a-happier/522539/6 "2009-12-25T16:56:29Z")
> [@DianaG](#): > > I’m a Happy Holidays-er throughout the month, but a Merry Christmas-er on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Wow we’re twins 🙂 I do the same thing. My friends in NZ day “Happy Christmas.” Of course they say “Father Christmas” too. How gauche 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Queen\_Tonya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/4491bb/32.png) [@Queen\_Tonya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Tonya)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2009, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-merrier-or-a-happier/522539/7 "2009-12-25T17:00:13Z")
Merry is the tradition around here, but I like throwing in the odd “Happy Christmas” at folks just to change it up once in a while.