Suppose someone is saying to you:
I wish you Merry Christmas!
or
Good luck!
Is it meaningful to reply "You too"?
Or should you respond "Same to you"?
Answer
"You too" is an abbreviation of a repeat of the sender's statement, for example:
Merry Christmas!
[Merry Christmas to] You too!
This is entirely valid spoken English (it's very informal in written English), but be careful of when you don't want to return the greeting in its exact form. For example, the following is fine when both you and your friend are heading home from work:
Have a safe trip home!
You too!
But the previous conversation is wrong (but usually obviously and inoffensively wrong) if the first person is not travelling home, for instance if the second person were leaving the first's house after a visit.
In such a circumstance, one would normally have to think of an alternative response, for example:
Have a safe trip home!
Thanks! Have a great evening!
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