Happy Holidays or Merry Christmas: Which holiday greetings do Canadians prefer?
The holiday season is officially upon us with Christmas markets galore and holiday drinks abound.
Nothing gets you in the festive spirit like a good ol’ holiday greeting, whether written in a thoughtful card or shared with a loved one under the mistletoe.
But which holiday greetings do Canadians like to use to spread cheer?
Preply, a language learning service, has released a survey revealing which greetings people prefer to use by province and city.
Unsurprisingly, the showdown is between “Merry Christmas” and “Happy Holidays.”
“While almost everyone loves a genuine holiday greeting in any form, it’s important to feel comfortable when you’re the person delivering one,” reads the report.
According to Preply, 61% of those surveyed are more likely to say “Merry Christmas” rather than “Happy Holidays” at 34%.
Preply
Only BC, Quebec, Nova Scotia, and PEI will opt for “Happy Holidays” over “Merry Christmas.”
And the stats aren’t so different when broken down by city.
Only three out of the 19 cities represented in the survey preferred it to “Merry Christmas” (though there were two ties).
“As much as there is a personal use preference among Canadians, they are a laid-back bunch when it comes to the holiday greetings they believe others should use,” reads the report.
According to the survey, over half of Canadians (52%) simply don’t mind which greeting is used – it’s the thought that counts, after all.
Of those left, 32% of people want to hear a classic “Merry Christmas” and embrace a more traditional expression of the holiday spirit.
The remaining 16% think people should opt for the inclusive and encompassing “Happy Holidays” to spread cheer far and wide.
But “Merry Christmas” and “Happy Holidays” aren’t the only holiday greetings being used.
According to Preply, “There is a holy (g)host of options that Canadians use throughout the season,” including these greetings:
- Bah Humbug!
- Enjoy the time off!
- Enjoy your winter holidays!
- Happy Solstice!
- Happy New Year!
- Season’s Greetings!
- Happy Festivus!
- Feliz Navidad!
- Happy Christmas!
- Happy Hanukkah!
- Happy Diwali!
- Joyeux Noel!
- Joyeux Temps Des Fetes!
- Maligayang Bati!
Preply
Similarly to the “When is it too early to put up a Christmas tree?” debate, Preply also asked when people should start delivering holiday greetings.
It found that there was a pretty even split, with 32% of Canadians believing holiday greetings should start in the first week of December, while 31% prefer to wait it out until the week before Christmas, and 21% believe in the perfect balance, saying two weeks before is just right.
Of the 16% left, 8% are in the holiday spirit right after Thanksgiving and 6% are committed, saying it’s never too early.
Only 1% noted they’d say it before Thanksgiving, and the last 1% don’t think either is worth saying at all (they probably opt for “Bah Humbug!”).
Preply surveyed 1,500 Canadians across the country in November.