Sometimes, you’d like to be a little more specific in what kind of happinesses you wish upon someone in the New Year. If you’re talking with someone about their plans for the holiday season, and they mention your family, this greeting would be perfectly appropriate. Que l’année vous procure ___ goes beyond the usual Meilleurs vœux and outlines the positivity you’re wishing into someone’s life for the upcoming year. When it comes to Christmas cards, a number of questions are regularly asked by British, American and Canadian expats in France: Are Christmas cards a thing in France? Do the French send greetings cards? Where are all the Christmas cards? This is because, in France, greetings cards are much less culturally important than they are in other countries. Whereas it may be a seasonal tradition to send a “Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year” to everyone on your carefully curated Christmas card list, the French are less enamoured by card-based well-wishing and their high streets are almost completely devoid of specialist greetings card shops. Now that you know the common French Christmas greetings and traditions, you are ready to embark on a journey to France during the festivity. But before that, learn more French and get ready to have amazing conversations with the locals.

It is the most common holiday phrase and you’ll likely hear it a lot once it gets closer to Christmastime. Here are some examples:Most of the time, however, we don’t use any pronoun, so we simply say Noël instead of “ le Noël”. In “ Joyeux Noël !” for instance: “Joyeux” is the masculine adjective for “Happy.”

Olivier, Leyla et moi) nous vous souhaitons un excellent Noël et de très bonnes fêtes de fin d’année. At Christmastime, it means “Season’s Greetings,” and is the perfect holiday phrase to encompass all of the Christmas and New Year’s holiday events. These are the nativity scenes or crèches displayed in many French homes. There are little clay figures called santons or little saints in the crèche, which you can buy from Christmas markets. There are plenty of pieces available for sale so you can create a small or huge crèche at home. Crèche Vivante/Pessebres

What French will my child be learning?

This is a good substitute for meilleurs vœux and a great way to greet someone and catch all the season’s events together.