When Did This Phrase Come About?

Someone should parody this as "No sleeps 'til Xmas".

not a source but this is a U.K. site that uses it

http://www.terrycassell.com/how-many-sleeps/

Australian

http://website.informer.com/terms/How_Many_Sleeps_Till_Christmas_Australia


you could be onto something with it being a Commonwealth thing ... unless Cherrie is American

http://www.thespeks.com/kids-songs/how-many-sleeps-til-christmas.php

lyrics and song at the link

Chorus

How many sleeps ‘til Christmas? It seems so far away
I wish that I could close my eyes and wake on Christmas day
For Jesus’ birthday party I hope that we’ll get snow
We’ll blow the candles out, is canfaimid Nollaig Shona dó

There's a German (pre-) christmas children song with such a refrain ... "One time we'll wake up and then is Christmas"
Text: earlier than 1779 (already reprinted then)
Music: 1783, actual version composed 1809

The actual versions of this refrain where changed according to the days since early 19th century. (Perhaps earlier, but in an book printed 1820 [school song book] the different versions are mentioned.)

Edit: in the much older version of that song, the refrain's lyrics already were "four times/three times/twice/once we'll wake up, hooray then it's Christmas Day" (viermal/dreimal/zweimal/einmal werden wir noch wach, heißa dann ist Weihnachtstag). The lyrics were later changed for the children's songbook ... and it's still a song in church services (for children).

No, I'm not American, I'm an Aussie.

Welcome from the remaining Ozzians, Cherrie.

Thank you.

You make it sound like there aren't very many of us.