{"id":13831,"date":"2025-12-25T03:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-12-25T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/?p=13831"},"modified":"2025-11-29T08:22:24","modified_gmt":"2025-11-29T13:22:24","slug":"songs-of-joy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/2025\/12\/25\/songs-of-joy\/","title":{"rendered":"Merry Christmas!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Two-minute read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Merry Christmas!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The phrase “Merry Christmas” originated in a letter written by Bishop Charles Booth in 1520. He wrote,  “I praye God ye may be all in good charite and mery this Crystmas.\u201d[1]<\/a> Before 2022, historians thought that Catholic Bishop John Fisher, imprisoned for denying King Henry VIII as the \u201cSupreme Head of the Church and Clergy of England,\u201d wrote the phrase in a letter to Thomas Cromwell asking for clothing and food, closing his letter with the sentence, \u201cAnd this our Lord God send you a merry Christmas.\u201d[2]<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Christmas comes from an abbreviated version of \u201cChrist\u2019s Mass.\u201d[3]<\/a> Charles Dickens popularized the saying, \u201cMerry Christmas,\u201d in his infamous classic story of Ebenezer Scrooge. A Christmas Carol, published in 1843, used the phrase, \u201cA Merry Christmas, uncle! God save you!\u201d which popularized the words.[4]<\/a> Used to decree good tidings upon the receiver, merry describes a behavior, deliberately having fun.[5]<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now that you know where the phrase originated and its intention, when you wish someone a Merry Christmas, it refers to finding enjoyment in the Lord. Actively seeking Jesus will bring you divine joy, something I pray you carry throughout the entire year. Capture the emotions of Christmas by focusing on Jesus. Let His works fill your heart as you receive the grace and mercy He gives you. No greater present can we find than salvation through Christ and eternal life with Him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spend this day celebrating the birth of Christ. Sing \u201cHappy Birthday\u201d to the Savior as a beloved family member. Give Jesus your heart, the gift He desires from you. Live in the fullness of God\u2019s Son, today and always. Let the Lord\u2019s divine peace and joy reign in your hearts as you pursue Him. In the season of gift giving, receive the best gift of all, Jesus!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Journal Questions:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

What about the Christmas story brings you the most joy?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In what ways do you celebrate Jesus\u2019s birth?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How can you carry the Christmas season with you all year long?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Joyful Application:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Celebrate with joy the birth of the Savior.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

[1]<\/a> https:\/\/medium.com\/english-language-faq\/when-did-we-start-saying-merry-christmas-e225ebd7c9f5<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2]<\/a> https:\/\/northernwilds.com\/the-story-of-merry-christmas\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3]<\/a> https:\/\/northernwilds.com\/the-story-of-merry-christmas\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4]<\/a> https:\/\/time.com\/6240140\/why-we-say-merry-christmas-traditions\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5]<\/a> https:\/\/www.countryliving.com\/life\/a37128\/origin-of-merry-christmas\/<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Two-minute read. Merry Christmas! The phrase “Merry Christmas” originated in a letter written by Bishop Charles Booth in 1520. He wrote,  “I praye God ye may be all in good charite and mery this Crystmas.\u201d[1] Before 2022, historians thought that Catholic Bishop John Fisher, imprisoned for denying King Henry VIII as the \u201cSupreme Head of… Continue reading Merry Christmas!<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13831","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","without-featured-image"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13831","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13831"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13831\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13834,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13831\/revisions\/13834"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13831"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13831"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13831"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}