Christmas Greetings
and Good Cheer
Greetings at
Christmas extend beyond a mere wish of 'Merry
Christmas' or 'Happy Holidays.' Christmas greetings
embody a wish that all will go well in whatever
preparations need to be made, and a genuine
sentiment that much joy, happiness and well being
will be experienced by the individual and loved ones
during the season.
The season of good cheer and wishes also reflect the
jolly ho, ho, ho
nature of Santa Claus. To the delight of children,
it is very easy for them to run into many jolly
fellows dressed as Santa Claus during the Christmas
season who will quiz them about whether they have
been good or naughty. Many times when friends,
relatives and loved ones call each other during the
Christmas season, they will speak to the children
and wish them Merry Christmas, but not without a
warning that they had better be good or else there
will be no presents from
Santa Claus.
For children therefore, a greeting of Merry
Christmas has the purpose of increasing their
anticipation for the arrival of Christmas Eve and
Santa's visit to leave toys and Christmas presents
under the tree.
Because children also take part in many traditions
associated with Christmas, holiday greetings for
them is also a reminder of the fun they will have in
doing such activities as decorating the tree,
helping to bake cookies and wrapping presents. When
children have these things to look forward to at
Christmas, it creates a lasting memory for them and
helps to make their childhood one on which they will
later reflect on with much fondness.
The more prevalent greeting of 'Happy Holidays' that
is used today reflects in part the also prevalent
nature to be politically correct in speech and
communication. The greeting of 'Happy Holidays' can
be given to anyone whether or not they celebrate
Christmas. It avoids any offense being taken if
someone is wished Merry Christmas when it's a
celebration in which they don't participate or
observe.
Happy Holidays is also used to extend a greeting of
goodwill beyond Christmas to the coming New Year
holiday period. For procrastinators and the
chronically late greeting card senders, they can
still drop a 'Happy Holiday' greeting card in the
mail to friends and loved ones close to Christmas
Day or even after and it will still be relevant.
Christmas greeting cards play a big role in
communicating Christmas greetings and good cheer for
the holiday season. It's a tradition that started in
Britain in 1840 with the start of the first public
postal deliveries. The production of large numbers
of Christmas greeting cards started about twenty
years later in 1860 with the improvement of printing
methods.
Today, Christmas greetings and greeting cards have
further evolved with massive changes and development
in technology. The computer, which has become a
necessary electronic equipment in just about every
home, is commonly used to send Christmas greetings
through emailing an online greeting or postcard.
Online greeting cards also have brought other
changes such as being interactive or animated and
they can also be easily personalized with pictures
of individuals or families. Online greeting cards
can be sent from websites that are accessible
to everyone or they can be easily created on a home
computer.
Another way in which Christmas greetings are sent is
by mailing gifts and presents to relatives and
friends who live elsewhere. Except for the dreaded
tax season, there is no other time when post offices
become more crowded than during the Christmas
season. Post Offices therefore play an important
role in relaying Christmas greetings by handling
thousands of greeting card mailings and gift
packages for Christmas.
With just about everyone having a cheerful spirit
for the Christmas season, it becomes very easy to
pause for even a brief conversation and extend a
greeting of goodwill to friends, acquaintances,
colleagues, neighbors and others.