The letter dates back to at least 1534 in London. Moreover, the bishop John Fisher in a letter to Henry VIII’s chief minister Thomas Cromwell wished 'Merry Christmas'. The reason is based on what the language signifies - 'happy' is an emotion, while 'merry' is a behaviour. Historical reasonsįurther, historians believe that the earlier church leaders in Great Britain encouraged Christian followers to be 'happy' instead of 'merry'.
Some say that the word 'merry' is related to the rowdiness of the underprivileged classes, whereas 'happy' is based on a higher-class connotation especially because it is associated with the royal family wishing ‘Happy Christmas’.
