英语阅读理解：圣诞节英语解说

　　1. Merry Christmas vs Happy Christmas

　　Merry Christmas and Happy Christmas are both greetings used during the last part of December, around Christmastime. The first word of each is only capitalized when used as a greeting. When one is speaking of a happy or merry Christmas, the adjectives are lowercase.

　　Merry Christmas began as a saying in the 1500s. It was recorded in a letter as a wish that God would send the recipient a “merry Christmas”. It was solidified as a capitalized greeting by Charles Dickens in his great work A Christmas Carol.

　　Queen Elizabeth II, for whatever reason, did not use Dickens’ phrase. Instead, she used the phrase Happy Christmas in her broadcasts to her subjects. After her use, the term gained popularity and is still the most common form in Great Britain and Ireland.

　　There is debate whether or not the greeting has religious meaning and whether a more generic Happy Holidays should be used instead to respect non-Christian views. Be aware of your audience when choosing the correct phrase.

　　2. There is more than just Christianity Listen, if there was ONLY Christianity allowed in this country, then sure...it would be fine to say "Merry Christmas" to everyone. But the fact of the matter is that there are many other faiths in America, as well as some atheists and agnostics.

　　If you are Christian, go ahead and say "Merry Christmas" to every Tom, Dick and Jane you meet. Just don't claim you're being "persecuted" when the person responds with a different religious greeting instead!

　　【本文作者： TenTenEnglish。(公众号：忐忑英语)】

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