The only one that is correct is season s greetings. You are only referring to one season, the winter xmas holiday season. In the phrase seasons greetings, the greetings belong to the season. In the case of season s greetings, adding an apostrophe. The possessive form is needed because season s greetings stands for greetings of the season. Season greetings from the hensleys should i ever add an apostrophe.
Tis the season for good grammar, along with all those glad tidings. Well it depends it could be both season s greetings is like the seasons are greeting you less xmasy. When somebody writes seasons greetings,is an apostrophe appropriate in seasons. Adding an apostrophe to season s greetings is correct, since it makes the phrase possessive. Apostrophes mark possession, but the degree can vary, which makes season s greetings a bit counterintuitive the glad tidings dont belong to the season in the same way that frostys top hat belongs to him. We offer our readers, far and near, the season s greetings of a christmas gone and the new year dawning. Other times, apostrophes and even the letter e get thrown into the mix. The greetings belong to the season, and thus theyre the holiday seasons greetings.
And although you may like the person so well that you want to wish them good tidings for numerous seasons to come. Christmas is the biggest cardsending holiday, far exceeding the likes of mothers day and valentines day. However, please remember seasons greetings without the apostrophe means greetings for many seasons. If youre wishing someone greetings of the season, youre wishing seasons. Its with an apostrophe, because its possessive, ie the greetings of the season, or, seasons greetings. Greetings and signoffs in letters in letters, the conventional greeting is. Assuming youre referring to a single guest, the possessive apostrophe should come before the s bring your event into the palm of your guests hand but i have a suspicion that guests was meant to be plural because of the context. In the case of seasons greetings, adding an apostrophe and the letter s to the. The comma should separate the closing phrase from the signature, which is your name. The correct form is the first one, seasons gr eetings. The word season in this twoword phrase typically covers the whole gamut of holidays packed into the last month and a half of the year, from thanksgiving to christmas, hanukkah to kwanzaa, and of course the new year too. Well, if it was the title of a card or the header in a blog post, that would almost be acceptable.
The apostrophe tells us that the greetings are regarding the current season and all the holidays in it. However a poem dated 1836 but printed in amsterdam, new york in 1865, shows the phrase existed in the early 19th century and was not confined to victorian england. Seasons greetings or seasons greetings and confusing holiday. The apostrophe bedevils many, but in this case you want to use it because the meaning of the phrase is greetings of the holiday season. Seasons greetings, and please dont forget the apostrophe. Dear sally without a comma if you dont know the person, some writers address the person as mrms or, alternatively, use their full name. The expression season s greetings is an expression of genitive case also known as possessive in which one noun is the possessor of another noun. Seasons greetings meaning in the cambridge english. Seasons greetings or seasons greetings and confusing. My argument with some coworkersis that it is not correct to add an apostrophe. The apostrophe goes straight after the owner, hence you write season s. If there were an added apostrophe as in, the bakers or the bakers, it would. The phrase seems to have appeared in print from the 1860s onwards. Personalized zoo animals ornament custom name christmas etsy.
A similar greeting, compliments of the season, follows the same rule. All those envelopes need to be stuffed and sealed, stamped and addressed. Seasons, the plural, makes no sense as an adjective modifying greetings. Dear sally smith dear ms smith traditionally, letters were. Personalized child on swing ornament playground christmas. Proper nouns like christmas should always be capitalized, but the word merry should only be capitalized if. It seems to be part of a growing trend to use nouns as adjectives. Seasons greetings meaning of seasons greetings by lexico. Only use an apostrophe when you want to make a name possessive. Adding an apostrophe to seasons greetings is correct, since it makes the. The correct spelling is season s greetings, according to the oxford english dictionary. Some 1,500 leading members of malaysias large christian community have received season s greetings from abdullah. Dont ruin your holiday card with a misplaced apostrophe vox. With the holidays approaching, id like to know which words to correctly capitalize.
Apostrophes mark possession, but the degree can vary, which makes seasons greetings a bit counterintuitive the glad tidings dont belong to the season in the same way that frostys top hat belongs to him. Season greetings from kranes a few questions people have may have. According to wikipedia, seasons greetings is a term that wishes people well over. Yes, this is the moment every year where i have to share my reminder about how to. If your last name ends with s, x, z, ch, sh, then add an es at the end of your name. The apostrophe makes the term look possessive, but it isnt truly possessive, just quasipossessive. Greeting cards, holiday cards, announcements and more. How to properly make last names plural for holiday cards. The greetings, on the other hand, are friendly regards or wishes. Reading your card aloud will help you catch any mistakes that may have. Season greetings from joneses if your last name ends with any other letter, just add an s. When somebody writes seasons greetings,is an apostrophe. How to capitalize holiday greetings the our languages.
By adding that apostrophe and s, we let someone know were not just greeting them about periods of time throughout the year, were sending them happy thoughts during this particular time of year, the one glut with celebrations. If your last name ends with any other letter, just add an s. Generally, this is understood to include everything between thanksgiving and new years day. So in shareholder agreement, the shareholder seems to be working adjectivally to describe the kind of agreement it is, rather than as a noun. The exact origins of the phrase are unknown, although the popularity of seasons greetings seems to have coincided with. A simple and timely reminder for our final mind your language column of the year. Should you send seasons greetings or seasons greetings. Steve, winter begins dec 21st, which is before xmas. Proper nouns like christmas should always be capitalized, but the word merry should only be capitalized if youre starting the line with the greeting merry christmas.
The correct form is the first one, seasons greetings. The seasons are not givng the greetings unless they are personified. Because youre wishing someone greetings of the season, so the season owns the greetings. Should we just return all those holiday card apostrophes like that awkward. Callahan, let me take this opportunity to wish you a profitable and successful fall season on behalf of everyone at our company. Seasons greetings requires an apostrophe between the n and final s in season s because the greetings belong to the season and all of the holidays included. In the case of seasons greetings, adding an apostrophe and the letter s to the word season indicates possession. Greetings and signoffs vary depending on the formality of the communication. Company name or letterhead address city, state zip.
We ink holiday wishes and seasons greetings inside, address our envelopes with a. If apostrophes are a challenge for you, check out our detailed. When you write seasons greetings in an email or card, remember to include the apostrophe. Derived from the german word, christkindl, or baby jesus. That makes the holiday season a prime time for grammar mistakes. Happy new year follows the same rule, so you would not capitalize happy unless it begins the sentence. The expression season s greetings is an expression of genitive case also known as possessive. While preparing your holiday cards, you may be stumped by a recurring december dilemma. Origin the exact origin of the phrase season s greetings is unknown, but it is believed to have gained popularity around the same time that merry christmas began to replace. Where should the apostrophe go in seasons greetings. Seasons greet ings is a shortened form for greetings of the season. Sample of holiday greetings to customers,employees. Season s greetings is a 1980 play by british playwright alan ayckbourn.
Season seasons if this is your first visit, be sure to check out the faq by clicking the link above. I prefer seasons greeting i think it sounds nicer hehe xx. Happy holidays, season s greetings, and oh, yes, merry christmas to all, and to all a good night. The apostrophe is required not because a season is a person with possessions, but because the phrase should be understood as the greetings of the season. Seasons greetings is a shortened form for greetings of the season and makes excellent sense. Avoid a season punctuated by greetingcard mistakes. To brush up on punctuation rules, read the comma rules everyone should know. Always have a friend look over your card before you hit print.
So, when used in a sentence, it would be appropriate to write season s greetings from the smith family. None of the topgun style guides address these holidays and holiday greetings. It is technically a possessive, season s greetings greetings of the christmas season, but on posters, banners, and cards the apostrophe is often omitted. If merry falls in the middle of a sentence, it should not be capitalized. The greetings belong to the season, so you need the possessive with the apostrophe and not the plural seasons. If there were an added apostrophe as in, the bakers or the bakers, it would make the term possessive. Is it seasons greetings or seasons greetings answers. If the name does not end in s, add apostrophe and s.
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