The most common way of wishing merry Christmas in French is to say “joyeux Noël !”.
Joyeux Noël – Merry Christmas!
If you're looking for some Christmas greetings in French then you will of course want to know how to say Merry Christmas and Happy New Year in French. The most common way to say Merry Christmas in French is “joyeux Noël”.
Joyeux Noël et Bonne Année!
– Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
The most common phrase in French is to say 'joyeux Noël', literally meaning 'merry Christmas'. You could also say 'meilleurs voeux' to say season's greetings, or 'joyeuses fêtes' to say happy holidays.
[...] and everyone of you my warmest wishes. [...] d'entre vous mes vœux les plus chaleureux.
Definition. “Bonnes vacances” is the common way to say “Happy holidays” in French. It literally means “Good holidays” and is the short version of “Passez de bonnes vacances” (Have a good holiday)
The marchés de Noel, or Christmas markets, are an important part of the French Christmas tradition. Beginning usually the last weekend of November and continuing until Christmas Day or into the New Year, little wooden stalls pop up in the center of villages and cities all over the country.
Christmas customs, originating in the Middle East, were introduced to France by the Romans. Reims was the site of the first French Christmas celebration when, in 496, Clovis and his 3,000 warriors were baptized. Bishop Rémi had purposely chosen the day of the Nativity for this ceremony.
In France, most families eat their big celebratory Christmas dinner on Christmas eve, the 24th of December, starting around 8 pm. Immediately after dinner, families will usually open their gifts. This Christmas Eve meal is a Reveillon dinner, or more specifically “Le Réveillon de Noël.”
Bonne journée ! : Have a nice day!
Vacances: Having time off according to a predetermined schedule for a longer time (a congé could last a day or a year, but vacances is an extended period of time). Usually a time when a lot of people travel (e.g. summer vacation)!
Translation of "Belle journée" in English. Noun Adverb. beautiful day. great day. lovely day.
Je vous souhaite tout le meilleur, du fond du cœ ur. I wish you all the best, and thank you from the bottom of my heart. Je vous souhaite tout le meilleur, du fond du cœur. I wish you all the best for the future.
Merci encore pour vos bons voeux.
Thank you very much for your kind wishes. (EN) Je vous remercie de vos bons vœux.
Typical French New Year's Greeting
In English, you say "Happy New Year." But the French generally don't say "new" when wishing someone a great year. Instead, in French, you say only "happy year," as in: Bonne année > Happy New Year.
Make sure you say Bonjour, or else you'll be considered very rude. And when you leave, you should say “goodbye”, as well. You'd typically say “Bonne journée” (“Have a nice day”). “Merci, au revoir” (“Thank you, goodbye”) could also work.
In terms of which cheek to start with, there is never a right answer as it depends on the region but in Paris and in the majority of France, you go to the left, kissing the other person's right cheek first. You can also coordinate with the person in the moment.