In the United States, Canada, and many other countries, saying “merry Christmas” to a friend, family member, or even a complete stranger, is seen an expression of peace and goodwill, said by both Christians and non-Christians to one another in the days leading up to, and especially on, Christmas Day.

In the United Kingdom, however, a great many might be more apt to wish a colleague a “happy Christmas.” Queen Elizabeth II is said to prefer “happy Christmas” over “merry Christmas,” reports Patheos. “Merry” is interpreted to have a “connotation of boisterousness, even slight intoxication;” things that the queen does not wish to convey.

The first Christmas card reported to have been distributed commercially, in 1843, contained the quote “Merry Christmas,” as well as an image of a family sharing what is thought to be wine or port. “Merry making” and “merry England” are terms that are said to convey images of imbibing and revelry, which Queen Elizabeth, and former British royals, have attempted to distance themselves from, reports the Phrase Finder.

In the usage of the phrases in quotes over the past 500 years one can witness a broadening of their appearance in literature and apparent acceptance.

“Mery Christmas” was reportedly first written on December 22, 1534 in a John Fisher letter to Thomas Cromwell.

“And this our Lord God send you a mery Christmas, and a comfortable, to your heart’s desire.”

“A Visit from St. Nicholas” sometimes called “‘​Twas the Night Before Christmas,” taken from the poem’s first line, was written by Clement Clarke Moore in 1822, according to Seth Kaller, and contained “happy” rather than “merry.” One Good Reads user described the poem as being known by “nearly all American children today.”

“Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night.”

“A Visit from St. Nicholas” is available with Gutenberg.

In 1843, Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol was published and widely read in both the United States and England. “Merry Christmas” appears 21 times in the text of the family favorite, also available with Gutenberg. The book has inspired many films: the 1951 version is highly rated by IMDb users, and viewed by many families on an annual basis.

“A merry Christmas, uncle! God save you!” “Merry Christmas! Out upon merry Christmas!” “A merry Christmas and a happy new year!”

“A Visit from St. Nicholas” and A Christmas Carol are largely responsible for shaping Christmas as it is celebrated today, with trees, feasts, and gift giving. Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert are thought to have also played a large role in the popularization of the Christmas tree and the holiday as a whole in the United Kingdom, as reported by the Inquisitr. The early 1800s is when Christmas started to take form as the annual tradition that is celebrated today.

Also around this period, in 1833, “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen” was first published by William Sandy, in Christmas Carols Ancient and Modern, though it was likely sung for many years before that, demonstrating a connection between the word “merry” and Christmas that became apparent in the early 19th century.

Though the use of “merry” in the title of the carol is often thought to convey a meaning similar to “happy” today, the meaning of the title has been paraphrased to mean “‘remain peacefully content’ and the carol contains the wish that God should grant that favour to gentlemen.”

“God bless you, merry gentleman! May nothing you dismay!”

Dickens wove the title of the Christmas carol into A Christmas Carol, with a caroler’s greeting to Ebenezer Scrooge, who would only flee in terror with the famous miser recoiling in disgust. Note that Dickens changed the position of the comma in his text, changing the meaning of the quote to what is understood by readers today.

By 1946, when George Baily ran through the streets shouting “Merry Christmas, movie house! Merry Christmas, Emporium! Merry Christmas, you wonderful old Building and Loan!” in It’s A Wonderful Life, listed with IMDb, “merry Christmas” had become a standard greeting among Americans who celebrate it.

Gene Veith sums it up like this: in England you’re more likely to hear “happy Christmas” and in the United States you’re more apt to hear “merry Christmas.” They both mean about the same thing, merry might carry a slightly more inebriated meaning and happy may be a bit more upright. Veith notes that the “happy” versus “merry” consideration is not made with New Year’s greetings, when people almost universally wish each other “happy New Year.”

[Feature Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images]