{"id":93846,"date":"2023-07-17T14:31:26","date_gmt":"2023-07-17T18:31:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/german-christmas-phrases\/"},"modified":"2025-02-26T03:32:18","modified_gmt":"2025-02-26T08:32:18","slug":"german-christmas-phrases","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/german\/german-christmas-phrases\/","title":{"rendered":"Merry Christmas in German and 10 More Festive Phrases"},"content":{"rendered":"

Christmas is, without a doubt, one of the most enchanting times of the year, and Germany is one of the most enchanting places to celebrate it.<\/p>\n

Countless Christmas traditions originate from Germany<\/a>, so it only makes sense that we learn how to talk about the holiday in German.<\/p>\n

This post will show you how to say “Merry Christmas” in German, along with 10 other German Christmas phrases and some common German Christmas traditions.\u00a0<\/p>\n

[fluentu-toc]<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

1. <\/strong>Merry Christmas<\/h2>\n

German: <\/strong>Frohe\/Fr\u00f6hliche Weihnachten
\n<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The most common holiday greeting of them all, you will likely hear this every other sentence when you get close to the end of the year!<\/p>\n

2. <\/strong>Happy holidays<\/h2>\n

German: <\/strong>Ein Frohes Fest! \/ Sch\u00f6ne Feiertage
\n<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Another common greeting<\/a>, this is a more general way to wish someone joy during the holidays.<\/p>\n

This is definitely a much more inclusive greeting.\u00a0<\/p>\n

3. <\/strong>Best wishes for the new year<\/h2>\n

German:\u00a0Alles Gute zum Neuen Jahr<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Once again, you’d use this just as you would in English.<\/p>\n

4. <\/strong>Peace on Earth<\/h2>\n

German:\u00a0Frieden auf Erden<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

While you’ll probably hear this one more in a song<\/a>, it’s still pretty common.\u00a0<\/p>\n

5. <\/strong>Christmas is a time to remember<\/h2>\n

German:\u00a0Weihnachtszeit ist Erinnerungszeit\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Christmas is always full of memories and joy, and this phrase points out just that.<\/p>\n

6. <\/strong>May all your wishes come true<\/h2>\n

German:\u00a0M\u00f6gen sich all deine W\u00fcnsche erf\u00fcllen\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Of course, we always want all of someone’s Christmas wishes to come true, and now you can tell them that!<\/p>\n

7. <\/strong>I wish to give you a loving Nicholas greeting<\/h2>\n

German:\u00a0Ich m\u00f6chte dir einen lieben Nikolausgr\u00fc\u00df \u00fcberreichen\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

While this may sound a little funky in English, it’s essentially saying that you would give someone a greeting as warm as if you were Saint Nicholas!<\/p>\n

8. <\/strong>You make Christmas merrier<\/h2>\n

German: Du machst Weihnachten festlicher\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

This is perfect for letting someone know just how much you appreciate them!<\/p>\n

9. Come, Lord Jesus, be our guest and bless what you have bestowed<\/h2>\n

German:\u00a0Komm, Herr Jesu; sei du unser Gast; und segne, was du uns beschert hast<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

This is a common table prayer that you will most likely hear for most meals this season.<\/p>\n

There are several variations of this prayer, but those can differ on an individual basis.<\/p>\n

10. Cheers<\/h2>\n

German:\u00a0Prost<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

This is a common drinking toast used in many contexts<\/a>, whether you\u2019re sipping wine at a warm and reflective Christmas gathering or partying hard.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s almost mandatory for any kind of social drinking, so you\u2019ll be hearing plenty of this if you\u2019re invited to a holiday party supplied with drinks.<\/p>\n

11. I wish you a well-behaved Christ child<\/strong><\/h2>\n

German:\u00a0Ich w\u00fcnsche dir\/euch\/Ihnen ein braves Christkind.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

This may sound a little strange to an English speaker\u2019s ears, but to wish someone a \u201cwell-behaved Christ child\u201d is to wish good fortune and gifts for another\u2019s Christmas.<\/p>\n

Alternatively, a bad-behaved Christ child would bring about a pretty sour December 25th.<\/p>\n

Here you can use dir <\/em>(you), euch, <\/em>(plural you) or Ihnen (formal you.)<\/a><\/p>\n

More Christmas Vocabulary<\/h2>\n

Here are some extra words that you’re likely to encounter in a German-speaking country during Christmas time:<\/p>\n

das Christkindl<\/em> \u2014 the Christ child (this is where Kris Kringle comes from)<\/p>\n

der Christbaum\/Tannenbaum\/Weihnachtsbaum<\/em> \u2014 Christmas tree<\/p>\n

der Heiligabend<\/em> \u2014 Christmas Eve<\/p>\n

der Kranz<\/em> \u2014 wreath<\/p>\n

das Weihnachtslied<\/em> \u2014 Christmas carol<\/p>\n

der Weihnachtsmann<\/em> \u2014 Santa<\/p>\n

die\u00a0Weisen<\/em> \u2014 Three wise men<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n

To see how these phrases and words are actually used by natives, check out FluentU.<\/a><\/p>\n

FluentU<\/strong> takes authentic videos\u2014like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks\u2014and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.<\/p>\r\n

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You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download the iOS app<\/a> or Android app.<\/a><\/p>\r\n

P.S. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)<\/a><\/i>\r\n<\/p>\r\n

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