Christmas, the season of good will, is one of the most important Christian holidays in Europe and is celebrated in many other countries around the world. Christmas traditions vary considerably in different parts of the world, but some things are the same everywhere: it’s never too early to start thinking about Christmas! This point that is well understood by German supermarkets who regularly fill the supermarket shelves with tempting Christmas delicacies as early as September.
Christmas is the busiest time of year for retailers. The shops prepare themselves early for the upcoming festivities, and year after year they try to meet every customer’s wish, no matter how unusual. In many companies, too, preparation for the Christmas holidays begins a long time in advance.
Christmas holidays are already planned in the summer, and the staff Christmas party also has to be organized well in advance. When it really gets stressful, though, is when you have to figure out how to satisfy your customers’ needs during the Christmas break, or how to surprise them with something special.
Download a list of Christmas greetings in all languages as a PDF: International Christmas Greetings
Christmas greetings to business partners and customers – a classic in business relationship management!
Be it in the form of traditional Christmas cards, sweet treats for the Christmas festivities or email greetings, sending Christmas greetings to national and international business partners and customers is still part of the standard marketing repertoire of many companies. Sending Christmas cards by post has a long tradition, and is a must for many business operators.
Christmas greetings are certainly sincere, but not entirely without ulterior motives. A traditional Christmas card is more personal and is more likely to be noticed by the recipient than an email greeting, which will soon end up in the trash folder. A traditional greetings card also indicates to the addressee that they are held in high esteem, the more so if it is hand-written and signed.
Including a heartfelt personal message in a Christmas greeting increases trust and strengthens the bond between sender and receiver. Christmas card texts typically wish the recipient a Merry Christmas, thank them for their fruitful collaboration during the past year, and express the hope that this will continue in the coming year. It is also common to wish the recipient a prosperous and healthy New Year.
Accordingly, in the business world sending Christmas greetings is regarded as an unobtrusive marketing tool – an opportunity to cultivate business relationships through casual contact.
To make your Christmas greetings stand out from those sent by your competitors and to maximize the emotional impact for the addressee, it is advisable to write them in the recipient’s national language, or even in a multilingual format.
The standard greeting in many languages around the world is “Merry Christmas”, which expresses the sender’s cordial good wishes in just a few words. Naturally, this does not only apply to business dealings. International Christmas greetings can also be used to great advantage in the private sphere.
Christmas greetings in 45 different languages:
We have compiled a helpful list of Christmas greetings in 45 languages, in written and spoken form, to help you prepare for Christmas and still have plenty of time to enjoy the celebrations.
Download a list of Christmas greetings in all languages as a PDF: International Christmas Greetings
How to say merry Christmas in different languages
Merry Christmas in Albanian Gëzuar Krishtlindjet
Merry Christmas in Arabic سعيد ميالد عيد) eid milad saeid)
Merry Christmas in Armenian Շնորհավոր Սուրբ Ծնունդ (Shnorhavor Surb Tsnund)
Merry Christmas in Bosnian Sretan Božić
Merry Christmas in Bulgarian Veselata Koleda
Merry Christmas in Chinese 聖誕快樂 (Shèngdàn kuàilè)
Merry Christmas in Danish Glædelig Jul
Merry Christmas in German Frohe Weihnachten
Merry Christmas in English Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas in Estonian Häid jõule
Merry Christmas in Finnish Hyvää joulua
Merry Christmas in Flemish Zalig Kerstfeest
Merry Christmas in French Joyeux Noël
Merry Christmas in Greek Καλά Χριστούγεννα (Καλά Χριστούγεννα)
Merry Christmas in Hebrew שמח מולד חג) Mo’adim Lesimkha. Chena tova)
Merry Christmas in Hindi मेरी क्रिसमस (meree krisamas)
Merry Christmas in Indonesian Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas in Irish Nollaig Shona
Merry Christmas in Icelandic Gleðileg jól
Merry Christmas in Italian Buon Natale
Merry Christmas in Japanese メリークリスマス
Merry Christmas in Latvian Priecīgus Ziemassvētkus
Merry Christmas in Lithuanian Linksmų Kalėdų
Merry Christmas in Luxembourgish Schéi Krëschtdeeg
Merry Christmas in Catalan Bon Nadal
Merry Christmas in Korean 성탄을 축하드려요
Merry Christmas in Croatian Sretan Božić
Merry Christmas in Kurdish Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas in Malay Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas in Maltese Il-Milied it-tajjeb
Merry Christmas in Macedonian Среќен Божиќ (Sreḱen Božiḱ)
Merry Christmas in Dutch Vrolijk kerstfeest
Merry Christmas in Norwegian God jul
Merry Christmas in Polish Wesołych Świąt
Merry Christmas in Portuguese Feliz Natal
Merry Christmas in Russian С рождеством (s Rozhdestvom)
Merry Christmas in Romanian Crăciun fericit
Merry Christmas in Swedish God Jul Slovak Veselé Vianoce
Merry Christmas in Slovenian Vesel božič
Merry Christmas in Spanish Feliz Navidad
Merry Christmas in Czech Veselé Vánoce
Merry Christmas in Turkish Mutlu Noeller
Merry Christmas in Ukrainian З Різдвом Христовим
Merry Christmas in Vietnamese Giáng Sinh vui vẻ
Merry Christmas –wishes – they may be well intentioned, but there’s a risk of putting your foot in it!
Religious diversity is not only the norm in Germany and Europe – so while many of your customers and business partners may well take time off over the Christmas break, they may not necessarily celebrate Christmas as such. If you aren’t quite sure whether the recipient actually celebrates Christmas in keeping with the Christian tradition, you can simply wish him or her “happy holidays”. This is a little more neutral, but still serves the same purpose.
If you haven’t found the language you are looking for yet, or if you need more extensive translations, please don’t hesitate to contact our expert translation team. If you would like more information about Christmas traditions in individual countries, please contact our cultural coaching experts.
Download a list of Christmas greetings in all languages as a PDF: International Christmas Greetings
