greet someone a festival

[tufguy]

Do we "greet someone a festival"? For example "I have to go to Tom's house tomorrow with a pack of chocolates to greet him Christmas."

 

[PaulQ]

Do we "greet someone a festival"?

No. Never.

"I have to go to Tom's house tomorrow with to give him a pack box of chocolates to greet him for Christmas."
"I have to go to Tom's house tomorrow with to give him a pack box of chocolates to greet him as a Christmas present."

 

[Packard]

You need a preposition in your sentence.

I have to go to Tom's house tomorrow with a pack of chocolates to greet him for Christmas." (better)

I have to go to Tom's house tomorrow; with a pack I have a box of chocolates for him for to greet him Christmas." (Bhis sounds more idiomatic to me.)

 

[Packard]

You need a preposition in your sentence.

I have to go to Tom's house tomorrow with a pack of chocolates to greet him for Christmas." (better)

I have to go to Tom's house tomorrow; with a pack I have a box of chocolates for him for to greet him Christmas." (Bhis sounds more idiomatic to me.)

Paul's British English and my American English have crossed, but with very similar results.

 

[Lun-14]

No. Never.

"I have to go to Tom's house tomorrow with to give him a pack box of chocolates to greet him for Christmas."
"I have to go to Tom's house tomorrow with to give him a pack box of chocolates to greet him as a Christmas present."

You've marked the verb "greet" incorrect. What verb would you use here then?

 

[PaulQ]

There is no applicable verb that conveys anything like the sense of "greet". It is possible to say "I'm going to Tom's house tomorrow to wish him Merry Christmas/a merry Christmas"

It is possible to say: "I'm going to Tom's house tomorrow to give him the season's greetings." but this is circumlocution and formal - I advise you don't use it.

 

[Packard]

We also "offer best wishes" or "warmest wishes" for Christmas. But as Paul says we don't use "greet".

I am going to Tom's house tomorrow to deliver a box of chocolate and to give him best wishes for Christmas and the the New Year.

 

[Barque]

To greet someone with [name of festival] seems to be the result of a direct translation of a common Hindi/Urdu expression. Such direct translations of idiomatic expressions don't work. The closest equivalent is:

"I'm going to Tom's house tomorrow to wish him Merry Christmas/a merry Christmas"

 

[sdgraham]

It's curious because, although we do not "greet" a person for Christmas (as above), we do send "greeting cards" inscribed with Season's Greetings, etc.
Go figure.

 

[Packard]

It's curious because, although we do not "greet" a person for Christmas (as above), we do send "greeting cards" inscribed with Season's Greetings, etc.
Go figure.

Perhaps in the USA our relatives and friends are typically more far flung. Personal visits would seem much nicer I think.

 

[heypresto]

And some cards even spell 'season's' correctly:

 

[Packard]

And some cards even spell 'season's' correctly:

It seems that the apostrophe, while used most often, is being ignored of late:

The apostrophes in discussion are missing and presumed dead.