Merry Christmas! Happy New Year-2011!

                   Merry Christmas!

Christmas
Christmas decorations on display.
Also called	Christ's Mass Nativity Noel Feast of the Nativity
Observed by	Christians Many non-Christians
Type	Christian, cultural
Significance	Traditional birthday of Jesus
Date	December 25 January 6 (in Armenia) January 7 (in a minority of EasternOrthodox churches)
Observances	Gift giving, church services, family and other social gatherings, symbolic decorating
Related to	Annunciation, Advent, Epiphany, Baptism of the Lord

History of Merry Christmas

The word merry itself arouses in us the feelings of joy and happiness associated with the festival of Christmas. Though the Christmas celebrations, as history tells us commenced from the 4th century AD, it was only in the year 1699, that the phrase Merry Christmas came to be used. An English admiral plays a significant role in the History of Merry Christmas, as it is he who used the term Merry Christmas for the first time in an informal letter in 1699.

The words Merry Christmas appeared for the second time in 1843 in Charles Dickens', "A Christmas Carol". 

The term Merry Christmas is not only used by the Christians to greet each other during the festival of Christmas but by all, irrespective of class as well as religion at the time of the Christmas Festival. In the term Merry Christmas, ‘Merry' stands for happiness while ‘Christmas' meant Christ's Mass in old English. 

Many people use the word happy instead of merry to wish each other during the festival of Christmas. This phrase Happy Christmas gained much popularity in the 19th century, as it was used by none other than Queen Elizabeth II. Its worldwide popularity is also evident from the fact that the concluding lines of Clement Moore's work, ‘A visit from St Nicholas', written in 1823, which included the words Happy Christmas was changed to Merry Christmas in the various other editions of the book. 

The term Happy Christmas is primarily used by the inhabitants of Ireland and United Kingdom. Sometimes to cut it short many use the word Xmas instead of Christmas. The truth is that no other term or phrase can even wish to match the popularity of Merry Christmas. Christmas Carnivals offers information on the History of Merry Christmas.