Wordy Wed: Merry NOT Happy

Today is Christmas!! 

Throughout the past month I have heard the phrase "Merry Christmas" on the radio, on the television, in stores, from family, friends and strangers. So why do I bring this up?

It seems Christmas is the only holiday to use the term "Merry". All others have relegated themselves to standard "Happy."

Really, think about it! Happy Birthday, Happy New Year, Happy Hanukah, Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas. Even holidays--a in Happy Holidays-- doesn't get to use the term Merry. So let's compare happy and merry--break it down, see why Christmas is Merry:

mer·ry adjective \ˈmer-ē, ˈme-rē\

: very happy and cheerful 

: feeling or showing joy and happiness

: causing joy and happiness

: giving pleasure :  delightful

: full of gaiety or high spirits :  mirthful

hap·py adjective \ˈha-pē\

: feeling pleasure and enjoyment because of your life, situation, etc.

: showing or causing feelings of pleasure and enjoyment

: pleased or glad about a particular situation, event, etc.

It seems that while "Happy" is a great term, it is more passive--more about a feeling and a reaction to something, "Merry" is ACTIVE: causing joy, giving pleasure and full of high spirits. 

And I think it's the perfect fit! Christmas isn't a day-like Thanksgiving, Halloween, or Birthdays-rather it's a season. Yes it's about presents, but it's more about giving and doing than receiving. It's about spreading cheer, giving pleasure, causing joy. 

Even the synonyms are uplifting: 

Synonyms

festive, gay, gleeful, jolly, jovial, laughing, mirthful, sunny

So enjoy Christmas and may your day, your week, your season be M*E*R*R*Y*!!