If you’re visiting Italy during the holiday season or just want to share festive cheer with your Italian friends and family, you’ll want to know how to say "Merry Christmas" in Italian.
Let’s learn the Christmas greetings you need!
How to say “Merry Christmas” in Italian
The simplest and most common way to say “Merry Christmas” in Italian is:
| Buon Natale | Merry Christmas | BWOHN nah-TAH-leh |
This phrase is perfect for any situation, whether you're speaking with a shopkeeper, a friend, or a relative.
Good to know
The literal translation of this phrase is “good” Christmas. Italians often use the word buon to express good wishes for various occasions.
A common example you may already know is: buongiorno – Good morning.
More Local Ways To Say “Merry Christmas” in Italian
Buon Natale works in all situations, but here are some more other festive phrases if you’d like to add some variety to your holiday greetings:
| Tanti auguri di buon Natale | Best wishes for a Merry Christmas | TAHN-tee ow-GOO-ree dee BWOHN nah-TAH-leh |
| Tanti auguri a te e alla tua famiglia | Best wishes to you and your family (informal) | TAHN-tee ow-GOO-ree ah TEH eh AHL-lah TOO-ah fah-MEEL-yah |
| Tanti auguri a lei e alla sua famiglia | Best wishes to you and your family (formal) | TAHN-tee ow-GOO-ree ah LEH-ee eh AHL-lah SOO-ah fah-MEEL-yah |
| Buon Natale e felice Anno Nuovo | Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year | BWOHN nah-TAH-leh eh feh-LEE-cheh AHN-noh NWOH-voh |
| Buone feste | Happy holidays | BWOH-neh FEH-steh |
How to Answer “Merry Christmas” in Italian
Now you know how to wish someone a Buon Natale , the next thing to learn is how to respond if someone wishes it to you. Here are the most useful phrases for that:
| Grazie, anche a te! | Thank you, same to you! (informal) | GRAHTS-yeh, AHN-keh ah TEH |
| Grazie, anche a lei! | Thank you, same to you! (formal) | GRAHTS-yeh, AHN-keh ah LAY |
| Grazie, buon Natale anche a te! | Thank you, Merry Christmas to you, too! (informal) | GRAHTS-yeh, bwon nah-TAH-leh AHN-keh ah TEH |
| Grazie, buon Natale anche a lei! | Thank you, Merry Christmas to you, too! (formal) | GRAHTS-yeh, bwon nah-TAH-leh AHN-keh ah LAY |
Unsure about how to pronunce grazie in Italian? Check your pronunciation here.
Christmas in Italy: Important dates and traditions
If you visit Italy during the Christmas season, it’s helpful to know which days Italians celebrate, as shops, restaurants, and museums might be closed on those days.
And, some little cultural notes will help you feel more connected to Italians at this time of year.
| Date: | Italian name: | What happens: |
| December 24Christmas Eve | La Vigilia di Natale | A large feast with famiglia , traditionally meat-free, featuring fish-based dishes. Gifts are often opened at midnight. |
| December 25Christmas Day | Il giorno di Natale | A big lunch, once again with famiglia . This is where the famous Italian saying Natale con i tuoi, Pasqua con chi vuoi comes from—meaning "Christmas with your family, Easter with whomever you want." |
| December 26St. Stephen’s Day/ Boxing Day | Santo Stefano | Most people enjoy Christmas lunch leftovers (that, could keep them fed until next Natale 😅) |
| December 31New Year’s Eve | San Silvestro | Big dinners and gatherings with friends and family to say goodbye to the old year. At midnight, people toast with spumante or prosecco , and there are fireworks everywhere. |
| January 1New Year’s Day | Capodanno | Another big lunch, of course! Lenticchie (lentils) are usually on the table—they’re said to bring good luck for the year ahead. |
| January 6Epiphany | Epifania | Epifania tutte le feste porta via! (“Epiphany takes away all the festivities!”) This day marks the end of the Christmas season.Italian bambini enjoy the treats brought by la Befana , a kind old woman who flies on a broomstick. |
How to say “Merry Christmas” in Italian: Review
Now you know how to wish someone a Merry Christmas in Italian, let’s review the phrases together in a handy list:
Buon Natale – Merry Christmas
Here are a few advanced versions:
Tanti auguri di buon Natale – Best wishes for a Merry Christmas
Tanti auguri a te e alla tua famiglia – Best wishes to you and your family (informal)
Tanti auguri a lei e alla sua famiglia – Best wishes to you and your family (formal)
Buone feste – Happy holidays
And some common ways to answer:
Grazie, anche a te! – Thank you, same to you! (informal)
Grazie, anche a lei! – Thank you, same to you! (formal)
Grazie, buon Natale anche a te – Thank you, Merry Christmas to you, too! (informal)
Grazie, buon Natale anche a lei – Thank you, Merry Christmas to you, too! (formal)
We’d like to wish you buone feste soon , too! But before you go, remember to check out our quiz and vocabulary cards for this lesson.
K: Ciao a tutti e benvenuti! Hi everyone and welcome to “Learn Italian with Joy of Languages”. Today’s mini-lesson is perfect for the holiday season because you might want to be able to wish "Merry Christmas" in Italian, and also know how to respond if someone says it to you. So, “Merry Christmas” in Italian is:
M: Buon Natale (x2)
K: Literally:
Buon – Good
Natale – Christmas
M: Italians often use the word buon , “good”, to express good wishes for various occasions. A common example you may already know is: buongiorno – Good morning.
K: A couple of things to keep in mind. First, there’s a W sound after the B. BWO, BWO, BWO. Buon. Buon Natale.
M: Buon Natale.
K: If you’d prefer a more neutral greeting that includes everyone, even those who may not celebrate Christmas, you can use the Italian version of “Happy Holidays,” which is:
M: Buone feste (x2)
K: Literally:
Buone – Good
Feste – Festivities
We say “ buone ”, with an “e” at the end because feste , “festivities” is plural.
We suggest not worrying about this, but learning the expression as it is. So, again, “Happy Holidays” in Italian is
M: Buone feste
K: Great! Now you know how to wish someone a Buon Natale, the next thing to learn is how to respond if an Italian wishes it to you. Here are the most useful phrases for that:
M: Grazie, anche a te! Thanks, same to you!
Grazie – Thanks
Anche - Also
A -To
Te! -You!
K: You can use this response in informal situations, like with friends or people you know well. In a more formal setting, though, you’d say:
M: Grazie, anche a lei!
Grazie – Thanks,
Anche - Also
A -To
lei –you! Here, “lei” is the formal “you”
M: So today you learned some important phrases!
K: The first was to wish someone a Merry Christmas, literally a “Good Christmas”
[...]
M: Buon Natale (x2)
K: Then, there’s the more neutral “Happy Holidays”
[...]
M: Buone feste (x2)
K: And finally, how to respond when someone wishes it to you. For “Thanks, same to you” in an informal situation, like with friends or people you know well.
[...]
M: Grazie, anche a te (x2)
K: The formal version is:
[...]
M: Grazie, anche a lei (x2)
K: To learn more local-sounding ways to wish someone a merry christmas in Italian, and discover what Italians do during holidays (beside eating) head over to our website by clicking on the link in the description. Or you can go to italian.joyoflanguages.com/podcast and search for episode 165.
M: There, you’ll find everything written down, plus bonus materials like vocabulary cards and a quiz.
K: And speaking of Christmas, we’ll be busy preparing for the January opening of our Online Italian School, so we’ll be taking a short break from the podcast.
M: We’ll be back in gennaio – January – ready to help you learn lots of Italian in the New Year. In the meantime, we’d love to stay in touch!
K: You can join our newsletter for updates on our Online Italian School and be the first to know when enrollment opens in early January. Just click the link in the podcast description.
M: See you next time.
K: Or, as we say in Italian…
Alla prossima!
Time to check your understanding and remember everything you just learned! Below you’ll find a mini-quiz and some vocabulary cards to help it all go in.
Quiz
How much did you learn? Find out in the quiz!
Click here to take the quiz for this episode: How do you say Merry Christmas in Italian?
Vocabulary
Buon Natale = Merry Christmas
Buone feste = Happy holidays
Grazie, buon Natale anche a lei! = Thank you, Merry Christmas to you too! (formal)
Grazie, buon Natale anche a te! = Thank you, Merry Christmas to you, too! (informal)
Tanti auguri di buon Natale = Best wishes for a Merry Christmas
Flashcards: How do you say Merry Christmas in Italian?
Not sure how it works? Click here to watch the tutorial
