conditional seasons greetings
conditional seasons greetings
(OP)
I'm expecting it to occur any day now. Someone will say to me, "If I don't see you again, have a Merry Christmas." Why the if condition? And what about the else condition? Shouldn't such good wishes come without conditions attached? At least make the condition not so petty as seeing someone. For example: "So long as you don't become a violent felon before then, have a merry Christmas."
Anyway, an unconditional happy holidays to all the Eng-tips grammarians.
Steve
Anyway, an unconditional happy holidays to all the Eng-tips grammarians.
Steve





RE: conditional seasons greetings
RE: conditional seasons greetings
(a) you do not wish them a Merry Christmas the next time,
(b) you wish them Merry Christmas a second time and your remaining usable wishes are reduced,
(c) you "take back" your previous greeting when you first see them for the second time, then re-issue the greeting upon departure....and hope you don't see them again.
Dang, I always have difficulty keeping track of my greetings, and its embarasing when you "run out"!
RE: conditional seasons greetings
What they mean, of course, is, "It's not my normal custom to be wishing you a MC this early, but I may not see you during conventional MC-wishing season, so here's your MC now."
Conditional or restrictive grammar, but not intent--just like these favorite examples of mine:
"Hi! I'm your server. If you need anything, my name is Chris." (If you don't need anything, then the name's Pat. Just don't expect anyone to answer to "Pat", since using that name is an indicator that you don't need anything.)
"...And that's the news. In New York, I'm Joe Schmo." (And in Paris, I'm Fifi, Queen of the Night.)
Hg
Eng-Tips policies: FAQ731-376
RE: conditional seasons greetings