Christmas is on 25 December, and in English-speaking countries it is one of the biggest family holidays of the year. Here are the words for the tree and the presents, and the greetings you can use.
Words about Christmas
- a Christmas treea tree brought indoors and decorated with lights and ornaments
- a presenta gift; “present” is the everyday word, “gift” is more formal
- some wrapping paperpaper used to cover a present; it’s uncountable, so no “a”
- a Christmas stockinga sock-shaped bag hung up for small presents
- fairy lightssmall decorative lights, often on a tree or a window
- a Christmas carda card you send with a short message
- a carola traditional Christmas song that people sing, often in a group
- Santa Clausa character who brings presents, usually at night
- Christmas Eve24 December, the evening before Christmas Day
In English-speaking countries, Christmas is mostly a family holiday. People decorate the tree together, children hang up stockings, families sing carols, and the big meal is usually on 25 December, often with turkey. St Nicholas is also linked with gifts; read more in our post St Nicholas Day vocabulary and greetings.
Greetings and wishes
In Ukraine, 25 December is now a public holiday too, and many people greet each other with З Різдвом Христовим! (roughly “with the Nativity of Christ”). Many Orthodox families celebrate on 7 January, so the same wishes work a little later.
- Merry Christmas!The most common greeting. You can say it to anyone.
- Merry Christmas and a happy New Year!Good for a card, often written in full.
- Wishing you a warm and happy Christmas.Warmer; good for family and close friends.
- Have a wonderful holiday!Safe for a colleague; covers Christmas and New Year.
- Happy holidays!A general greeting for the whole holiday season.
Say “Merry Christmas!”, not “Merry Christmas Day!”. The holiday is Christmas, and the day itself is Christmas Day. “Happy Christmas” is also used, especially in Britain, but “Merry Christmas” is the more common choice. On a card, write Christmas in full; “Xmas” is informal and mostly used in texts.
Check yourself
Say it in English, then reveal the answer:
1.You want to wish your friend a happy Christmas.
Answer
Merry Christmas!
2.Say that you decorated the tree with lights.
Answer
We decorated the Christmas tree with fairy lights.
3.Say that you bought a present for your brother.
Answer
I bought a present for my brother.
Happy holidays! If you want to talk about your Christmas plans with confidence, book a free trial lesson at Slay School.
