Being a British person I can't really say that I've noticed one way or the other; certainly it doesn't seem strange to hear people say "Merry Christmas" any more than "Happy Christmas." There's possibly a slight context dependency, with "Merry" being a bit more likely if you're waving at someone on the other side of the street and "Happy" if it's more up close and personal, but I'm not sure if I'm making that or not.AllanO wrote: ↑Mon Sep 21, 2020 1:53 am
I know a great many British People and they overwhelming say "Happy Christmas" unless singing "We wish you a Merry Christmas" (which did originate in England) or otherwise employing the whole phrase "Wish you a merry Christmas and a happy New Year" whereas North American use Merry Christmas solo and never say "Happy Christmas". However looking it is claimed that British people do use "merry Christmas" on its own at least some of the time (hard to say) and certainly did in the past (for example in Dickens's A Christmas Carol everyone is Merry Christmasing on its own.
https://www.grammarphobia.com/blog/2018/01/merry-happy-christmas.html
If it is something creeping in to the language that I've not noticed then I feel a bit ashamed at that, considering how irritated I get when people say, for example "train station" instead of "railway station" (something that was unheard of just a few years ago).