Season's greetings?

[Wilson Gray]

Two weeks ago, a young - twenty-ish - neighbor wished me a "Happy New
Year's!" I'd never heard that before. A couple of minutes ago, I saw
in print on Slashdot, "Happy New Years[sic]."

Is "Happy New Year!" being reanalysed as an abbreviation of "*Happy
New Year's [Day]!"?

Well, I should have expected it. When I was a kid in the '40's, the
Christmas season stretched from Christmas to the Eve of Epiphany/Feast
of the Three Kings on January 5. So, we wished people a merry
Christmas through December 30 and a happy new year through the morning
of the 6th. But, at least twenty years ago, I began to notice people
looking at me strangely, with some even saying things like, "That was
yesterday/Sunday/Monday" or some such, when I wished them a merry
Christmas after the 25th or a happy new year after the 1st.

-Wilson Gray