Merry Christmas or Happy Christmas?

Well, both are correct to start with, but one is more frequently used than the other and that is Merry Christmas. The question is then:  "why do people prefer to say Merry instead of Happy if both are synonyms?" One reason is to avoid redundancy since most people wish a "happy Christmas" and also a "happy New Year" together due to the proximity of both holidays. Instead of saying "happy" twice it sounds more elegant to use merry and then happy. 
Another reason is Collocation which is a term used to explain this constant use of some words with others, e.g. We get tired. Instead of We get tired we could say We become tired but it's not common. Collocation explains why we say Do homework and not Make homework. Why do we say a high mountain but not a tall mountain? Well, collocation explains that.  Because of Collocation words are wise but not smart. So if most people say Merry Christmas, Collocation is responsible for that.   
Perhaps, and considering that not all of us are Chistians or believers, a good way out of this potentialy conflictive choice of words is just to say Happy Holidays, which by the way, is a universal expression and can be used whenever there is a holiday.      
So Happy Holidays, everyone!                                                                        

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