Why I say "Happy Christmas"

"Merry" is defined as "cheerful and lively". "Happy" is defined as "feeling or showing pleasure or contentment", although I tend to go with the definition of "happy with" which is "satisfied with the quality or standard of". Of the two words, "merry", and "happy", which one do you prefer based on those definitions?

Personally, I prefer "happy" or "merry". "Merry" comes off as temporary, more hedonistic. For instance a depressed person can manage to pull themselves up enough to be cheerful and lively for an evening, but not be content with life that night before going to bed. To me, "happy" means you are satisfied with your life, regardless of whether you are feeling overly perky that evening. In other words, one is more temporary and in-the-moment while the other is longer lasting and deeper.

I would much rather people have a more fulfilling Xmas than a cheerful, one-day thing that left them not feeling great the next day. This is why I say "Happy Christmas" instead of "Merry Christmas". It has nothing to do with being Canadian (they say "merry") or the unusually large amount of British slang that I use. It all has to do with what kind of a Christmas day I want people to have.