This song was published in 1935 as a “West Country Traditional Song” from England. Originally, it was written as “I wish you a Merry Christmas”, but later changed to “We wish you” upon republishing the piece.
The publishing date and the actual creation date are much different. This tune is thought to originate in the 1800s, but there is no evidence of that, and it is missing from some of the more recognized collections of carols from the 1800s, as well as those from the 1600s. It is only mentioned in the 1992 book New Oxford Book of Carols as an English traditional without any source or date noted.
The phrase “a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year” was found in 1740 from a song the mummers sang when they went begging from home to home. Remember the mummer’s from when we traveled around the world at Christmas? http://bmebluprint.blogspot.com/2015/09/here-we-come-awassailing.html
This is from a mummer’s song of the 1700s
I wish you a merry Christmas
And a happy New Year,
A pantryful of good roast-beef,
And barrels full of beer
Of course, they wanted figgy pudding and a pint.
There are a number of versions of the song, but the most commonly sung one contains these lyrics:
We wish you a merry Christmas,
We wish you a merry Christmas,
We wish you a merry Christmas,
And a happy New Year
REFRAIN
Good tidings we bring
To you and your kin
We wish you a merry Christmas
And a Happy New Year.
Now bring us some figgy pudding,
Now bring us some figgy pudding,
Now bring us some figgy pudding,
And bring some out here
REFRAIN
For we all like figgy pudding,
We all like figgy pudding,
For we all like figgy pudding,
So bring some out here
REFRAIN
And we won't go until we've got some
We won't go until we've got some
We won't go until we've got some
So bring some out here
For the record, although I love Enya’s rendition, the one that I really wanted to use is the Osmond’s rendition on the 1968 Andy Williams’ Christmas Show because, well, let’s just say I am that old and was amused and entertained by it (no, I was NOT an Osmond Brother’s fan.) However, the video quality is very poor, but for fun, I am including it and letting you make your own determination.
Now that you are starting to get the Christmas spirit, let’s go shopping!
Nautical Cupcake Toppers in Navy Blue and Red
Washcloth Facecloth or Dishcloth Crocheted
Lipstick Red Handmade Lampwork Beads
Red Flame Box Elder Exotic Wood Large Earrings
Firetruck Christmas Ornament
Enhanced Candy Apple Red Autumn Leaves from Sugar Maple
Hand Knit Evening Poppy Shawl
Red Sun Gold Earrings
Red Bend Jasper Cream Riverstone Czech Beige Crystal Gemstone Necklace
Jo's Bevel 6" Handmade Stained Glass Quilt Square in Red
Handmade Necklace and Earrings
Ruby Red Slipper Socks
Red Holiday Dangle Earrings
Gold, Green, and Red Glass Acrylic Beaded Holiday Christmas Bracelet
Dog Lovers Tri-fold Wallet, Fabric Clutch
Guitar Necklace Red, Pink or Yellow Enamel Charm With Sterling Silver Chain
Red Skull Halloween Earrings
Burgundy Red & Green Basket - Geometric Pattern
These talented artists are available for special requests or orders, so don’t hesitate to contact them if you have any questions about these pieces.
Here are some more showcases for you to enjoy:
Week 1
Week 2
Silent Night, Holy Night
Hurry because handmade sells out fast, and when they are gone, they are gone! Buy now.
Enjoy!
Julie
Lovely Julie and Blu! Thanks so very much! I've scheduled a post on facebook to share at https://www.facebook.com/ennadoolf !! And I *am* an Osmond fan, so I'm thrilled you included that video! :)
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Anne
Beautiful collection of Christmas gift ideas. Thank you, Julie and Blu, for including my shawl. Shared.
ReplyDeleteThanks Julie and Blu for the sharing. I'll promote more later.
ReplyDeleteFun to read about the history of the Christmas songs. Thanks so much for showing my guitar necklaces along with the other fantastic items.
ReplyDeleteHaha! The Osmonds! Too funny. I am of a certain age as well but was never an Osmond fan, although I have to admit, they sound good! Thanks for teaching me about the song and for including my earrings in this Christmas-y blog post. Sharing now!
ReplyDeleteFunny story about "We Wish You A Merry Christmas"! Histories of songs and the writing of them is always interesting to me! Not a fan of the Osmonds, though I admit seeing them on TV very rarely LOL! Growing up most of us are exposed to the more popular Holiday songs, but I think the true stories behind them are sometimes more interesting to me than singing them - also LOL! Thanks for including my Red and Green Crocheted Basket!
ReplyDeleteFunny story about "We Wish You A Merry Christmas"! Histories of songs and the writing of them is always interesting to me! Not a fan of the Osmonds, though I admit seeing them on TV very rarely LOL! Growing up most of us are exposed to the more popular Holiday songs, but I think the true stories behind them are sometimes more interesting to me than singing them - also LOL! Thanks for including my Red and Green Crocheted Basket!
ReplyDeleteVery entertaining and nice handmade items!
ReplyDeleteThank you for including my bracelet, fun article on the history of Christmas songs, will share.
ReplyDeleteYou histories of Christmas songs are always so fascinating and fun. One of these days will need to make some figgy pudding and see if it's all it's cracked up to be. Might rather have the barrel of beer - LOL! Many thanks, Julie, for adding my red skull earrings. Will share the post far and wide.
ReplyDeleteThis is really great Julie...I personally love Enya but am old enough to remember all the Andy Williams and Perry Como Christmas shows! Thank you and will be sharing.
ReplyDeleteThis is really great Julie...I personally love Enya but am old enough to remember all the Andy Williams and Perry Como Christmas shows! Thank you and will be sharing.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Julie and beautiful Blu! I'm with Catherine on the barrel of beer! :) Will be sharing - and thanks for including my sun earrings. :)
ReplyDeleteLOVED Andy Williams AND his Christmas specials! Liked the Osmonds, too... Many thanks for including my Dog Lovers' Wallet in this week's picks. Red is so festive!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful choices.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for all you do Julie and Blu! And thanks for including my red lampwork beads.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for including my photograph in this wonderful post
ReplyDeleteThis is beautiful! I love all the handmade items here! Thanks so much for including my stained glass!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Julie and Blu. Love Enya and her version is fantastic. Thank you for including my Nautical Cupcake Toppers.
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