X-mas

[Jack8rkin]

Hello everybody!
Got an 'article' problem in the phrase from the song:

"We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year".

The indefinite article is not normally used with Christmas, right?
What's the logics here? Could you please explain it to me?

What about the "a" with the "New Year"? Is it becayse the noun year is countable?
Will you please clarify it to me?

Thank you.

[Barb_D]

Adding the adjective allows the indefinite article. It shows in many situations.

I hope your Christmas is a merry one - I hope you have a merry Christmas.
Emily got some great news. It was a happy Emily who showed up on our doorstep.
This year I want to go to Ireland for St. Patrick's Day. It will be a memorable St. Patrick's Day!

[Jack8rkin]

Is it because it may be implying a Christmas day? And a day when "New Year" coming is celebrated?

As for "a happy Emely", I suppose the "a" is used for an emphasis here, to show the contrast or something like that. And in case with X-mas and New Year it seems to be a little different. Right?

[Barb_D]

Have a happy Easter.
Have a merry Christmas (the day or season, either one).
Have a wonderful New Year (the day or the entire year)
It was a memorable St. Patrick's Day.
It was a festive Fourth of July.

Each time you have a modifier like this, you use "a."

[hooshdar3]

(Not a teacher)

I wish you a happy xmas from amongst the many you have.

[Jack8rkin]

Have a happy Easter.
Have a merry Christmas (the day or season, either one).
Have a wonderful New Year (the day or the entire year)
It was a memorable St. Patrick's Day.
It was a festive Fourth of July.

Each time you have a modifier like this, you use "a."

Thank you very much.

It's just... My colleague asked me yesterday about the indefinite articles
in congrats like the above ones because he had gotten an e-mail from the U.S.
and as he told me it went like this:
"wish you a Merry Christmas and a wonderful Happy New Year" .

As I see it now, the article does imply a day or a season in the above case.
In the Longman Dictionary, the noun "Christmas" is marked as both uncountable and countable.
So I guess if we use the indefinite article we imply a day or a season.
If we do not use the indefinite article it's a sort of festive activites or something like that.
Is my logics correct?

[Barb_D]

I hope someone else will respond to this thread. I've tried to say twice now that it's when you add a descriptive word that you use the article.

Easter is almost here. I hope it will be a happy Easter for us all.
Christmas is on Dec 25. I wiish you a Merry Christmas.
Independence Day is an important holiday. Have a celebratory Independence Day.
Peter is a nice guy. It was a very happy Peter who told us of his engagement.

I've now tried three times. If it's still not clear to you that it's the descriptive word (happy, merry, celebratory, happy again) that makes the diffrence, then someone else will need to try to explain it another way.

[Jack8rkin]

I hope someone else will respond to this thread. I've tried to say twice now that it's when you add a descriptive word that you use the article.

Easter is almost here. I hope it will be a happy Easter for us all.
Christmas is on Dec 25. I wiish you a Merry Christmas.
Independence Day is an important holiday. Have a celebratory Independence Day.
Peter is a nice guy. It was a very happy Peter who told us of his engagement.

I've now tried three times. If it's still not clear to you that it's the descriptive word (happy, merry, celebratory, happy again) that makes the diffrence, then someone else will need to try to explain it another way.

Ok-Ok!
Got it.
It's just quite strange to me that a descriptive word could make a difference. I thought a change in the sence of the word is important.
I just thought that something else is standing behind the use of the indefinite article. (I mean whether or not is the noun countable/uncountable).

[Raymott]

It's just... My colleague asked me yesterday about the indefinite articles
in congrats like the above ones because he had gotten an e-mail from the U.S.
and as he told me it went like this:
"wish you a Merry Christmas and a wonderful Happy New Year" .
"a wonderful Happy New Year" is wrong. "Happy" and "Merry" are capitalised because they have become common greetings. I suppose, so too is "New Year".
You can have a wonderful, happy New Year. You can't have a miserable Happy New Year.

Is my logics correct?
Is my logic correct?

No, I think Barb's right. Your logic has led you to the wrong conclusion.

[Jack8rkin]

No, I think Barb's right. Your logic has led you to the wrong conclusion.

What a wrong conclusion do you mean?