Merry Christmas in French 19 Ways (& Happy New Year!)
Heading to France or a French-speaking destination for the holidays and want to know how to say Merry Christmas in French?
You’ve come to the right place! We understand how important it is to connect with people from all over the world, whether they’re French, Chinese, Italian, Spanish, or German.
Especially around the holidays, being able to communicate with those around you, regardless of where they’re from and what languages they speak is special. Communication is the key to a successful family party, event, or even a simple get-together.
In this post, you’ll learn over 15 different ways of saying Merry Christmas in French. You’ll also get to hear several audio pronunciations so you can practice along the way.
You will also learn about some French Christmas traditions and even what a typical French Christmas dinner looks like!
Use this post as your guide for learning how to communicate with native French speakers, whether you’re a beginner or a more advanced French speaker.
Bonne Chance!
How Do French People Say Merry Christmas?
French people typically say joyeux Noël to wish others a merry Christmas, however, there are dozens of other ways to use the expression.
Below, I’ve provided 18 other ways of wishing someone a festive holiday!
1. Christmas in French – Noël
The base for practically every French holiday greeting you’ll read about below includes the word Christmas. So, it’s pretty important that you understand the French translation of the word and how to say it.
Take a look at this very short video on how to pronounce Noël if you’re interested!
2. How to Say “Merry Christmas” in French – Joyeux Noël
Now, to start with the basics, you’ll need to simply know how to say “Merry Christmas” in French.
To say this, you will use the phrase Joyeux Noël. When literally translated, it means joyful Christmas, but the French say it in place of the word merry. Thus, “merry” in French is joyeux.
You can listen to the Merry Christmas in French audio with the button below and practice your pronunciations using this breakdown:
JOI-IEU NO-EL
✔️ Hint: do NOT pronounce the ‘x’ unless you want to sound very touristy and uneducated in the French language department!
Merry Christmas in French Pronunciation
Learning how to pronounce different French holiday greetings properly is very important.
Many words can sound similar, so by mispronouncing something you could possibly give the impression that you are saying something entirely different than what you meant.
Also, even if two words don’t sound the same, if you are mispronouncing a large portion of each of these greetings, there is a good chance that a local may not understand you.
To communicate effectively during the holidays, watch this quick video where you’ll learn the breakdown of each part of every word in the most popular holiday greetings. Cheers!
3. I Wish You a Merry Christmas in French – Je te souhaite un joyeux Noël
Now that you know how to say Christmas and Merry Christmas in French, it’s time to learn how to wish a specific person a Merry Christmas.
The verb souhaiter, meaning to wish, comes after the second person singular which is te. Te translates to you, and Je translates to I.
Therefore, Je te souhaite translates to I wish you…
To you use the formal version for someone you don’t know very well or is above you in a professional manner, you would say Je vous souhaite.
Christmas is singular and masculine so here we use un to mean a.
You’ve already learned how to say “Merry Christmas” which is joyeux Noël, so when you put it all together you get:
✔️ Je te souhaite un joyeux Noël!
4. Have a Merry Christmas in French: Passe un Joyeux Noël
If you aren’t speaking directly to an individual person and are speaking instead to a group, some friends, or people you won’t see on the holiday, then you can use the phrase: “Have a Merry Christmas!”
This phrase uses the informal and singular version of the verb passer which means to spend time when used in this context.
If you are talking to family, friends, or people you know very well, you can use this form (passe).
But, if you are talking to coworkers that you don’t talk to often, your boss, or a complete stranger, then you should use the formal version which is passez since it uses the vous form.
You can also use passez if you are speaking to more than one person.
5. Have a Very Merry Christmas in French – Passe un Très Joyeux Noël
To wish someone a very Merry Christmas in French, you’ll simply squeeze the French word for very which is très right before the phrase for ‘Merry Christmas.’
Altogether, you get the phrase:
✔️ Passe un Très Joyeux Noël
Again, if you want to say it to more than one person or you want to use the formal version of vous, use passez instead of passe.
They are pronounced very similarly, but passe is pronounced PAHSS and passez is pronounced PAHSEY.
Pronunciation here is key, especially if you’re speaking to a boss or someone you don’t know well. If they misunderstand you and think you’re using the informal form, then it could make for a very awkward situation.
6. Happy New Year in French – Bonne Année
What comes after Christmas? The new year!
To wish someone a happy new year, use the phrase: Bonne Année!
When translated literally, it means good year, but the French use it to say “happy new year” come December 31st.
If you were to say something like joyeux année people would understand you, but they would likely correct you or give you a giggly smile.
7. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year in French – Joyeux Noël et Bonne Année
Probably the easiest one to remember and one of the more popular French greetings during the holidays would be “Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!”
In French, you would simply take et which means and, and put it between Joyeux Noël and Bonne Année. Nothing confusing or complex for this one!
8. How do You Say Happy Holidays in French? – Bonnes Fêtes
You have probably noticed by now that the word bonnes gets used a lot for translating to happy. And you wouldn’t be wrong!
The word for holidays in French is fêtes, so naturally, the phrase for Happy Holidays in French is Bonnes Fêtes. Simple, right?
No need to stress about singular, plural, formal, or informal forms on this one. Simply saying Bonnes Fêtes is perfectly acceptable to say friends, family, and even your boss’s boss.
9. How do You Say Season’s Greetings in French? – Meilleurs Vœux
To say season’s greetings in French, people most commonly say meilleurs vœux. Now, this doesn’t translate to what you think it might…
It actually means best wishes, but is most often used around the holidays. You will see this a lot on commercialized greeting cards, on store commercials, and so on. You can also say meilleurs voeux pour to say “best wishes for” and then say “you and your family” or another phrase.
It isn’t used as commonly as the rest of the ways to say Merry Christmas in French on this list, but it does work nevertheless.
10. Happy ‘End of Year’ Holidays – Bonnes Fêtes de Fin d’Année
If you want to wish someone a good experience with all of the upcoming holidays as well as a happy new year, you can say Bonnes Fêtes de Fin d’Année.
Literally translated to “happy holidays and the end of the year”, but most commonly taken as “happy holidays through the end of the year.”
11. Good and Happy Holidays in French – Bonnes et heureuses fêtes
Some people like to say both good and happy when wishing someone a positive holiday experience, so you can combine them by sayinng Bonnes et heureuses fêtes.
When you do this, joyeuses transforms into heureuses. The word heureuses actually means blissful and happy, so you’re wishing someone a “good and blissful holiday.”
This isn’t as popular among friends, but you’ll hear it more between the older generations like parents and grandparents.
12. Wishing someone Joyful Holidays in French – Joyeuses fêtes
If you want to mix it up a little and say joyful holidays instead of happy holidays in French, then simply exchange the word bonnes for joyeuses.
What is the difference between joyeux and joyeuses?
Joyeux is singular and is used when describing a holiday in particular such as Christmas. Joyeuses is plural and is used to describe holidays in general such as Christmas, Hanukkah, and New Years.
Other Popular French Greetings
Instead of just saying “Happy Holidays”, “Happy New Year”, or “Merry Christmas” in French, there are dozens of other ways to greet someone this coming holiday season.
But, since you’re most likely starting your French journey, we’ll just stick with the most popular three choices below!
13. Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones! – Joyeux Noël à toi et à tes proches!
When saying “Merry Christmas” to a coworker or a neighbor, it’s nice to wish the same for their loved ones, as well.
To do this, you’ll start with our standard Joyeux Noël.
À means to; toi means you; et means and; tes means your in the plural form; and proches means loved ones.
This sentence is very literally translated to give you an exact translation from English to French. Lucky for you!
14. Enjoy the Special Magic of the Holidays! – Profitez de la magie spéciale des Fêtes!
This isn’t as typically said between adults, but is occassionally used when talking to children, especially if they are related to you or you know them well.
In this case, the verb profiter which typically means to benefit from is actually used to describe taking enjoyment.
So, profitez is the formal form of the verb to gain benefit from, and the rest of the sentence is exactly translated.
You end up getting “benefit from the special magic of the holidays“, but the French understand it as “enjoy the Special Magic of the Holidays.”
15. We wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! – Nous vous souhaitons un excellent Noël et de très bonnes fêtes de fin d’année!
If you’re speaking as a couple (either you and a loved one, you and a parent or sibling, or you and a friend) and want to wish someone or 2 or more people Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays in French, use this sentence:
✔️ Nous vous souhaitons un excellent Noël et de très bonnes fêtes de fin d’année!
Literally translated, the sentence means “we wish you an excellent Christmas and happy holidays for the rest of the year“.
Again, the verb souhaiter means “to wish” and de fin d’année means “through the end of the year.” It’s common in French culture to not only wish people a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, but also a Happy New Year.
You don’t always have to say it in that order, but it’s customary to include it which is why this sentence has become so popular. You can also say excellentes fêtes to simply say “excellent holidays!”
This phrasing is also very common on postcards and holiday letters between family and friends.
16. Happy Hanukkah in French – Joyeux Hanoukka
Not every French speaker or France native is Catholic and celebrates Christmas. If someone you know or a stranger you meet is Jewish, knowing how to wish them a happy holiday or happy Hanoukka (Hanukka) is important.
✔️ To do that, simply say “Joyeux Hanoukka“.
The word for Hanukka in French is Hanoukka. They both mean the same thing, but the pronunciations are slightly different.
Use this breakdown to help you with the pronunciation in French: AN-OO-KAH
In English, we typically pronounce the word exactly as it looks, HAHN-UH-KA, but in French, it’s a bit different. Keep this in mind when you say the greeting to a native French speaker.
17. How do the French wish Merry Christmas?
Similar to many countries around the world including in the U.S., the French simply say “Merry Christmas” in French and leave it at that.
You don’t need to say anything fancy or even use one of the longer greetings like I mentioned above. Simply saying “Joyeux Noël” is polite, formal and informal at the same time, and is commonly used between family, friends, co-workers, and even management and subordinates.
To tell someone that you “wish” them a Merry Christmas in French, you would say “Je te souhaite un joyeux Noël“.
Either form is acceptable, but if you’re looking to impress someone with your French-speaking skills then use the sentence form.
If you are just talking to family or friends in a casual way, use “Joyeux Noël“.
18. What is Merry Christmas called in France?
When it comes to learning a new language, repetition and practice are key to passing the proficiency stage and becoming advanced.
So, what is Merry Christmas called in French?
Joyeux Noël! If you still aren’t confident in your pronunciations, go back to the top of this post and find the YouTube video where the girl breaks down every syllable in the word for you.
It’s extremely helpful, regardless if you’re just starting out or feel like you need a quick refresher.
19. Father Christmas in French
Want to talk about Father Christmas in French to the children in your life? Well, you’re going to need the phrase père Noël.
This one is quite simple since you’re just combing the French vocabulary for “father” (père) and “Christmas” (Noël).
French Christmas Traditions
If you really love Christmas like I do, you’ll probably get very excited over these cultural Christmas traditions.
✔️ Did you know that any letter sent to Santa is required by law to be answered with a postcard? No child looking for a letter back from Santa gets disappointed which is super heartwarming and kind in my book.
✔️ Next, you will learn all about the Christmas dinner traditions for French families. But, what I didn’t mention below is that they actually eat their Christmas dinner at midnight on Christmas Eve!
This way, they celebrate Christmas Day from the very moment it begins to the very moment they go to sleep the next evening.
✔️ It’s also very common to see complex nativity scenes in every yard and window. For la chandeleur, nativity scenes will be displayed for a minimum of 40 days after Christmas
✔️ If you’re from a western country like the U.S., then you probably leave stockings hanging over the fireplace for Santa Clause (Père Noël in French). But, in France, many children leave their shoes by the fireplace instead!
Traditional French Christmas Dinner
If you’re lucky enough to be spending Christmas in France or even just a French family, I’m veeery jealous. French food is one of my favorites of all time, and the French know how to do it up right every holiday.
If you’re from the U.S. or you’ve visited the U.S. during the month of November (or Canada in the month of October), chances are you’ve seen the enormous amount of dishes that come out every fourth Thursday of the month.
Mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, stuffing, and of course, the turkey!
Well, the French like to take their own culinary spin on this meal for Christmas. Turkey is still the main course, but it is often stuffed with a chestnut dressing (also known as stuffing) which is different than how Americans and Canadians typically prepare it.
You’ll still also have potatoes, but most of the time they’ll be roasted with rosemary and plenty of butter.
It’s also not uncommon to see the addition of poached fruits, especially apples and cranberries.
But, keep in mind that the French typically eat small portions over several courses. So, it’s likely that you’ll see a foie gras terrine of sorts (slow-cooked liver) served with gingerbread or a fruit chutney, a cheese course, an aperitif, as well as dessert and coffee to end.
Depending on how “fancy” the meal gets, you may also see chilled oysters, smoked salmon crostinis, wild game like pheasant or boar, and even homemade chocolate truffles.
Christmas dinner is a very big deal in French culture, so be prepared to spend upwards of 3-5 hours enjoying the meal, especially if you’re sitting in a family home.
Merry Christmas in French Song
If you want to hear a traditional Christmas song in French, check out this beautiful video!
FAQ: Merry Christmas in French
Now, let’s jump into answering some of your most popular questions about discussing Christmas in French conversations!
How Do you Wish Merry Christmas in French?
To wish someone a Merry Christmas in French, simply say Joyeux Noël. As I discussed above, there are many variations to this popular phrase, but this one is the most classic and will do the job just fine.
How Do you Respond to Joyeux Noël?
You have a few ways of responding to Joyeux Noël, including “Merci, et vous!” for “thank you, the same to you” or “Bonnes Fêtes” if you want to say “happy holidays”.
Again, there are plenty of acceptable variations of this, but these responses are the most popular.
What Does Joyeux Noel Mean?
Joyeux Noel means “Merry Christmas” in French!
Is it Joyeux Noel or Bon Noel?
Typically, you’ll hear French people using the phrase “joyeux Noel”. It’s what can be found on hanging signs in storefront windows, on TV commercials, etc.
Bon Noel would translate to “good Christmas” which isn’t generally said owing to its awkward grammar.
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✔️ Good Morning in French: 17 Helpful French Greetings
✔️ Goodnight in French 17+ Ways (& Audio Pronunciation)
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Whether you’re just trying to brush up on your French (a great place to start is by learning how to say “thank you” in French) or you’re looking to become bilingual in the coming months and years, understanding basic holiday greetings is essential.
It allows you to connect with your friends, family, and perfect strangers on a deeper level, and you’ll be happy to be able to impress people with your vast knowledge! If you want to practice even more on your own, check out Duolingo!
This fantastic language-learning platform forces me to practice my languages every single day, and is part of the reason I’ve been able to develop my pronunciation and French vocabulary skills so quickly.
Now that you know how to say Merry Christmas in French, you’ll be able to better enjoy your upcoming holidays with the native French speakers in your life.
