Merry Christmas...(OT-ish)

[Pam Scruton]

No: HPFGUIDX 6608

Neil wrote
 
> As far as I'm aware, most British people would say "Merry 
Christmas" and
> "Happy New Year" (...or "Bah, Humbug

Yeah - it's the Christmas/New Year combination that's the killer.  On 
Christmas Day my family would usually say 'Happy Christmas' to each 
other and everyone else.  BUT my late father was a church choir 
master during my youth (40 years ago).  When the choir went out carol 
singing round the local hospital, residential care homes etc. it was 
Dad who had to do all the speaking on behalf of the choir, including 
the Merry/Happy Christmas bit - usually many, many times during the 
course of an evening. 

For a few years Dad used to get really fed up because he was forever 
starting with "We wish you all the Happiest of Christmases" and then 
he was stuck with either having to repeat Happy for the New Year or 
saying Merry New Year - which really doesn't sound right.  So one 
year he made a conscious decision not to say Happy or Merry but to 
wish everyone "Compliments of the Season".   Later that phrase became 
the absolutely only one appropriate to a multicultural society and 
the many different faiths/societies holding traditional holidays at 
this time of year.  

However, it upset my mum because it's rather too big to write in 
icing on the top of a cake!

Pam