Merry? Marry?

Spelling errors again!

After so many years of teaching basic English to non-native speakers, my students (and their friends and students) still make the same mistake. Instead of

Merry Christmas

they write

Marry Christmas

Of course spellcheck, auto-correct and predictive text do not fix the error, simply because "Marry" is a proper English word. It just does not belong with Christmas! Unless of course you are getting married to the holiday, then maybe ...

As I have told my students numerous times (to absolutely no effect!), check, check and re-check every piece of work before you send it out. One small spelling error and your reputation is tarnished.

So unless you have decided to get married to Christmas (which is quite impossible), please wish your friends and family a

Merry Christmas!