Christmas is one of people’s favorite holidays. But along with the delicious food and the great company, there’s also the need and convention to give our beloved ones and acquaintances our best wishes. If you’re learning español, you may be wondering what phrases you could use to say ‘merry christmas’ in Spanish.
In Spanish, there are different ways to wish people a merry christmas. Some of the most common expressions that speakers use include:
- Feliz Navidad
- Felices fiestas
- ¡Que pases una feliz navidad!
- ¡Feliz Navidad y Próspero Año Nuevo!
- Mis mejores deseos en esta Navidad
- Te deseo una feliz navidad
If you’re learning Spanish or have Spanish-speaking friends, you might want to be able to give your best Christmas wishes in this language. So, in this article, I’ll show you 6 super common ways to say ‘merry christmas’ in Spanish.
I’ll also provide you with real-life examples that you can totally apply during these holidays and descriptions so you know what expressions might be the best for you.
By the end of this, you will be ready to say ‘merry christmas’ in Spanish like a pro!
1. Feliz Navidad – Merry Christmas
As you may have already known, Feliz Navidad is the Spanish phrase for ‘Merry Christmas’. So, this is probably the most popular expression that you could use during this holiday. In addition to being used to wish a merry christmas, ‘feliz navidad’ is also used as a greeting or a farewell.
To put it simply, you can use this expression to say ‘merry christmas’ to your family and friends, but also as a Christmasy way to say goodbye in Spanish to people that you just happen to run into (like the lady in the grocery store).
Here are some examples of how to apply this expression:
¡Lana, feliz navidad para ti y toda tu familia!
Lana, Merry Christmas to you and your family!
¡Feliz navidad a todos! ¡Los quiero!
Merry Christmas everyone! I love you, guys!
Muchas gracias, amiga, feliz navidad para ti también.
Thank you, honey, Merry Christmas to you too.
In Spanish speaking countries, many families hold a big celebration during Christmas Eve (Noche Buena in Spanish). You can use the following expression as a variation of ‘Feliz Navidad’.
¡Feliz Noche Buena! Pásenla bien mañana.
Happy Christmas Eve! Have a good time tomorrow.
Familia, feliz noche buena, los quiero mucho.
Happy Christmas Eve, I love you, family.
Take Note: Feliz Navidad literally means ‘Happy Christmas’. This is because the word ‘feliz’ is the direct translation of ‘happy’ and is used to congratulate people in Spanish on different holidays such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year, etc.
2. Felices fiestas – Happy holidays
In Spanish, Felices fiestas is an expression that we use during Christmas time to congratulate and wish people happy holidays. To put it simply, as its direct translation ‘happy holidays’, ‘felices fiestas’ is inclusive of the different holidays that we celebrate during this period (Christmas, New Year, Christmas Eve, Day of the Three Wise Men, Hanukkah, etc).
Something to keep in mind is that, due to its formality, ‘felices fiestas’ is more commonly used among Christmas cards or Christmas messages delivered by corporations, stores or institutions.
Felices fiestas de parte del departamento de marketing.
Happy Holidays from the marketing department.
De parte de la administración, les deseamos unas felices fiestas.
On behalf of the administration, we wish you all happy holidays.
Lucas, ¡felices fiestas! Espero que la pases bien con tu familia.
Lucas, happy holidays! I hope you have a great time with your family.
3. ¡Que pases una Feliz Navidad! – Have a Merry Christmas
In Spanish, ¡que pases una Feliz Navidad! is a more casual way to wish people a Merry Christmas. As a result, this expression is more suitable for informal situations. ‘Que pases una Feliz Navidad’ is the direct translation of ‘have a Merry Christmas’.
As a variation, you could use instead: ¡que tengas una Feliz Navidad! Below there is a phrase structure that you use to build your own wishes with this expression. Notice that you can use the verbs ‘esperar’ and ‘desear’ as supporting verbs to make this sentence a little more complete and formal.
(‘Esperar / Desear’ conjugated) + que + [‘pasar’ in present subjunctive] + [complement]
Amiga, que pases una feliz navidad. ¡Saludos a tu familia!
Dude, have a Merry Christmas. Give your family my love!
¡Que pases una feliz navidad, Ellie! Nos vemos pronto.
Have a Merry Christmas, Ellie! See you soon.
Henry y yo deseamos que pasen una feliz navidad.
Henry and I wish you a Merry Christmas, guys.
Jóvenes, espero que pasen una feliz navidad en compañía de los suyos.
Kids, I hope you and your families have a Merry Christmas.
Take Note: As a variation for this phrase, you can replace ‘pasar’ with the verb ‘tener’. So, you could say ‘que tengas una Feliz Navidad’. However, this expression is slightly more casual.
Amor, espero que tú y tu familia tengan una feliz navidad.
Honey, I hope you and your family have a Merry Christmas.
4. Feliz Navidad y Próspero Año Nuevo – Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year
Another popular expression that you can use during these holidays is Feliz Navidad y Próspero Año Nuevo which means ‘Merry Christmas and Happy New Year’. It’s a standard term, you can use this Spanish phrase in both formal and informal context to wish people the best during these holidays.
‘Feliz Navidad y Próspero Año Nuevo’ not only wishes people a Merry Christmas, but it also expresses that we hope that the upcoming year will be prosperous and successful. So basically, you’re giving your best wishes for these two important holidays.
Here are some examples of how to apply this expression:
Familia, ¡feliz navidad y próspero año nuevo!
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, family!
Ally, ¡feliz navidad y próspero año para ti y tu familia!
Ally, ¡Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year for you and your family!
Mamá, Gina les desea feliz navidad y próspero año nuevo.
Mom, Gina wishes you Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Take Note: As you may imagine, this expression can only be used before or during Christmas. If you only want to wish people a Happy New Year in Spanish, you can simply say ‘Feliz Año Nuevo’.
5. Mis Mejores Deseos en Esta Navidad – Warm Wishes
In Spanish, mis mejores deseos en esta Navidad is also another way to wish people a Merry Christmas. This expression is close in meaning to ‘warm wishes’ or, literally, ‘my best wishes’. ‘Mis mejores deseos en esta Navidad’ is kind of a formal expression, but you can still use it among your friends and family.
Unlike other expressions, you’ll need to change some possessive adjectives to customize your expression. Also, notice that you can omit ‘en esta navidad’ if the context is pretty clear, which it usually is during these holidays. Here are some examples:
[Possessive adjective] + mejores deseos + [complement]
Mis mejores deseos para ti y tu familia en esta Navidad.
My best wishes this Christmas for you and your family.
Nuestros mejores deseos en esta navidad, saludos a los niños.
Our warm wishes this Christmas. Send the kids our love.
El Sr. Smith les manda sus mejores deseos a ustedes y su familia.
Mr. Smith sends you his best wishes for you and your families.
Take Note: ‘Mis mejores deseos’ is a standard Spanish expression that you can use to give people your best wishes in any kind of situation. As a result, if it’s not clear why you’re wishing them the best, you might need to add some context.
Nuestros mejores deseos en tu nuevo trabajo.
Our best wishes for your new job.
6. Te deseo Una Feliz Navidad – I wish you a Merry Christmas
Since it’s the direct translation of ‘I wish you a Merry Christmas’, Te deseo una feliz navidad is another common phrase that you can use to wish someone a Merry Christmas in Spanish. Some popular variations that you can use instead of this expressions include:
- Te deseo paz y amor en estas fechas – I wish you peace and love during these holidays.
- Te deseo lo mejor en esta navidad – I wish you the best this Christmas.
Given that this expression can be customized, you can use it in both formal and informal situations. Below are some examples as well as a phrase structure that you can use in this case:
[Indirect object pronoun] + [‘desear’ conjugated] + [complement]
En TMIS, les deseamos una muy feliz navidad.
From TMIS, we wish you a Merry Christmas.
Mónica, te deseo una feliz navidad en compañía de tu familia.
Mónica, I wish you a Merry Christmas in the company of your family.
Hola, guapo, Mary y yo te deseamos lo mejor en esta navidad.
Hey, handsome, Mary and I wish you the best for this Christmas.
Samantha y su esposo nos desearon una feliz navidad.
Samantha and her husband wished us a Merry Christmas.
Wrapping Up
Though you might not use these expressions every day, knowing how to say ‘merry christmas’ in Spanish allows you to wish your Spanish-speaking friends the best during these holidays.
For that reason, we’ve learned 6 different Spanish phrases that you can use and combine with your personal messages to wish a Merry Christmas to your friends and family.
Now, you’re ready to start saying ‘merry christmas’ in Spanish. ¡De parte de Tell Me in Spanish, les deseamos una muy Feliz Navidad a todos! (Yes, I’m starting to feel too Christmasy)