The Surprising “Polite” Etiquette Rule Behind The Late Queen Elizabeth's Christmas Message

The late Queen Elizabeth II recorded 89 Christmas messages––formally known as Her Majesty's Most Gracious Speech––during her historic reign, but all of them except one followed a unique rule of etiquette. While every Christmas speech was unique, they almost all ended with the late Queen saying “I wish you all a very happy Christmas.” It turns out there is a historical reason for that iconic festive sign-off.

Steven Moore, colloquially known as "the David Attenborough of teacups” as well as an author, journalist, and TV presenter, shared a little known rule to wishing someone a pleasant Christmas on Instagram. He explains, “historically, in certain sectors of British society, if you described someone as merry, it was a polite way of saying they were a bit drunk.” While this secret meaning did not cross the Atlantic to affect the American tradition, Moore elaborates that “it was felt that wishing someone a ‘merry Christmas’ was inappropriate, because you’re basically saying “get drunk at Christmas.””

While the royal Christmas parties were known to have plenty of tipples, the use of “merry” versus “happy” was seen as poor taste. “In the majority of the Queen’s Christmas messages, she actually wishes the nation and commonwealth a happy Christmas rather than a merry Christmas,” Moore said. “There’s only one Christmas message where she says “merry Christmas,” and it was much later in her reign, when the phrase was as meaningless as it is now.”

In her final Christmas message from 2021, with no knowledge that it would be her last, the Queen finished her speech quoting O Little Town of Bethlehem, saying “the hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight”. She poignantly and perfectly signs off, “I wish you all a very happy Christmas.”