"A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to You" - A Phrase a Week

Meaning: The traditional greeting at Christmas - very commonly used on Christmas cards.  "A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to You" was the verse that was shown on the first commercially available Christmas card in 1843. Christmases has been merry long before that though. The use of 'Merry Christmas' as a seasonal salutation dates back to at least 1565, when it appeared in The Hereford Municipal Manuscript: