Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Why This Question Even Matters
- The General Rule of Capitalization
- Applying the Rule: ‘Happy Holidays’
- What About Special Occasions Like Navroz?
- Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Final Verdict: Capitalize or Not?
- A Quick Tip for Season’s Greetings
- Conclusion
1. Introduction
Festive seasons always bring a wave of greetings, smiles, and well-wishes. But they also bring a surprising amount of grammar confusion. One of the most common questions around this time of year is simple but surprisingly tricky:
Should you capitalize the word ‘Holidays’ in ‘Happy Holidays’?
Especially for special occasions like Navroz, the Persian New Year, getting your greetings grammatically perfect can make your message feel even more polished and thoughtful.
Let’s break it down clearly, so you never have to second-guess your seasonal wishes again.
2. Why This Question Even Matters
Language reflects respect.
When we greet someone during a festive time — whether it’s Navroz, Christmas, or Eid — our words carry warmth and care. A small mistake in capitalization can sometimes make a greeting feel rushed or informal. Plus, if you are writing cards, social media posts, or formal emails, you definitely want to get it right.
3. The General Rule of Capitalization
First, the basics:
In English, proper nouns — names of specific people, places, or events — are always capitalized. Common nouns — general words for things — are not.
For example:
- We capitalize Navroz because it is the name of a specific event.
- We capitalize Christmas, Eid, and Diwali for the same reason.
However, everyday words like “festival,” “celebration,” or “holiday” are not capitalized unless they are part of a proper noun.
4. Applying the Rule: ‘Happy Holidays’
So where does that leave ‘Happy Holidays’?
Here’s the simple rule:
- If you are using ‘Happy Holidays’ as a standalone greeting, you capitalize both “Happy” and “Holidays.”
- If you use it within a sentence, and it’s not part of a title or formal greeting, then you typically only capitalize ‘Happy’ if it starts the sentence.
Examples:
- Standalone greeting: Wishing you Happy Holidays!
- Within a sentence: We wish you happy holidays filled with joy.
5. What About Special Occasions Like Navroz?
For holidays like Navroz, which are specific and culturally important, the rules are the same — but with even more reason to be careful.
When you write a greeting like Happy Navroz, both words are capitalized because you are combining a general adjective (“Happy”) with a proper noun (“Navroz”).
If you wanted to be inclusive and said something like Happy Holidays during Navroz, you would still capitalize “Holidays” if it’s used as part of the greeting.
6. Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Overcapitalization: Writing phrases like “Happy holidays and Happy New Year” with random capital letters can look messy. Only capitalize the full proper nouns or standard greetings.
- Undercapitalization: Forgetting to capitalize “Navroz” or “Holidays” when used formally can make your writing look lazy or careless.
Always match the tone of your message to your audience: formal messages require stricter grammar, while casual greetings have a little more flexibility — but correctness is always a good look.
7. Final Verdict: Capitalize or Not?
If you are writing ‘Happy Holidays’ as a greeting, both words should be capitalized.
If you’re talking about holidays in a general sense within a sentence, “holidays” remains lowercase unless it is part of a proper noun or formal greeting.
8. A Quick Tip for Season’s Greetings
When in doubt, treat your seasonal greetings like titles:
Capitalize all the important words.
This keeps your greetings looking neat, festive, and grammatically polished.
9. Conclusion
Next time you sit down to send your Navroz wishes or draft a festive email, you’ll know exactly how to write it:
Happy Holidays — with both words proudly capitalized.
It’s a small detail, but one that shows thoughtfulness, attention to language, and a dash of festive spirit.
After all, celebrations deserve nothing less.