In this post, we show you how to send holiday greetings to your colleagues in 17 different languages. End the year on a high with these heartfelt and inclusive holiday wishes for all.
As the year draws to a close, you may be thinking about the best way to send happy holiday wishes to colleagues.
Perhaps you’ve got co-workers from all over the world and want to send multilingual holiday greetings via email, in person, or to accompany a corporate gift.
However you’re planning to wrap up the year, we’ve got you covered with our end-of-year guide to holiday greetings. Learn how to say “Happy holidays!” and “Season’s greetings!” inclusively in 17 different languages — ordered alphabetically from A – Z.
Arabic: أعياد سعيدة (aeyad saeida)
If you want to wish your coworkers “Happy holidays!” in Arabic, you can write أعياد سعيدة. This can be transliterated into the Latin alphabet as “aeyad saeida.”
For a longer message, consider “Wishing you a healthy and happy holiday season.” In Arabic, you can write this as follows: أتمنى لكم موسم عطلة صحي وسعيد (transliterated into the Latin alphabet as “’atamanaa lakum mawsim eutlat sihiy wasaeid”).
Learn more about the Arabic language: How many people speak Arabic around the world — and where?
Chinese (simplified): 佳节快乐 (Jiājié kuàilè)
In simplified Chinese, you can write 佳节快乐 to wish someone “Happy holidays”. This can be transliterated into the Latin alphabet as “Jiājié kuàilè”.
Alternatively, consider “Sending holiday greetings and warm wishes!” — 致以节日的问候与温馨的祝福! (zhì yǐ jiérì de wènhòu yǔ wēnxīn de zhùfú!).
Learn more: What are the most common languages and dialects spoken in China?
Danish: Højtidsønsker!
To send holiday wishes to your colleagues in Danish, you can say “Højtidsønsker!” This translates as “Holiday wishes!” or “Season’s greetings!” Another option is “Glædelig højtid!” which means “Happy holidays!”
You can also use “Nyd ferietiden!” which roughly translates to “Enjoy the holiday season!”
Struggling to get to grips with the Danish language? Check out our beginner-friendly Danish pronunciation guide.
Dutch: Fijne Feestdagen!
How about wishing your colleagues “Happy holidays!” in Dutch? You can say “Fijne Feestdagen!” or “Prettige Feestdagen!” Alternatively, consider “Seizoensgroeten!” — season’s greetings.
Learn more: Where in the world is Dutch spoken?
French: Joyeuses fêtes!
There are several holiday greetings you can use if you want to spread some end-of-year cheer in French. You can say “Joyeuses fêtes!” or “Bonnes fêtes!” which both mean “Happy holidays!”. Or you can say “Vœux de fin d’année!” for “Season’s greetings”.
Another option is “Je vous souhaite de joyeuses et saines fêtes de fin d’année !” — wishing you a healthy and happy holiday season.
Did you know that French is one of the fastest-growing languages in the world? Learn more about the French language and where it’s spoken.
German: Fröhliche Feiertage!
If you’d like to wish your colleagues happy holidays auf Deutsch, you can say “Fröhliche Feiertage!”, “Frohes Fest!” or “Frohe Festtage!” These are all variations on “Happy holidays”.
Alternatively, you can send “Saisonale Grüße” — season’s greetings. If you’re looking for a more elaborate holiday greeting, consider: “Ich wünsche Ihnen eine warme, glückliche und gesunde Festzeit”. In English: wishing you a warm, happy, and healthy holiday season.
Intrigued by the German language? Check out this post exploring why German words are so long!
Greek: Καλές γιορτές! (Kalés giortés!)
Want to send holiday greetings in Greek? Καλές γιορτές! (Kalés giortés!) means “Happy holidays!”
For “Season’s greetings”, say Χαιρετισμούς της εποχής (Chairetismoús tis epochís).
If you’d like to wish your colleagues a happy and healthy holiday season, you can say: Σας εύχομαι μια χαρούμενη και υγιή εορτινή περίοδο (transliterated into the Latin alphabet: Sas éfchomai mia charoúmeni kai ygií eortiní período).
Did you know that Greek is one of the oldest documented languages in the world? Learn how many people speak Greek — and where it’s spoken — in this guide.
Hebrew: חג שמח! (Chag Sameach!)
The Hebrew translation of “Happy holidays!” is חג שמח! (transliterated into the Latin alphabet as “Chag Sameach!” Alternatively, you can send “Season’s greetings!” as follows: ברכות העונה! (Brakhot Ha’Ona!).
Indonesian: Selamat liburan!
Want to wish your colleagues “Happy holidays!” in the Indonesian language? You can say “Selamat liburan!” or “Salam musim!” which means “Season’s greetings.”
And, if it’s appropriate for the climate in your part of the world, you could say “Selamat berliburan musim dingin!” which means “Have a great winter vacation!”
Learn more: How many people speak Indonesian and where is it spoken?
Italian: Buone feste!
Perhaps you’ve got Italian-speaking colleagues and want to send some heartfelt holiday wishes in their native tongue. You could say “Buone feste!” to wish them “Happy holidays!” or send “Season’s greetings!” with “Auguri di stagione!”
Want to expand your Italian vocab beyond “Buone feste”? Here’s a beginner-friendly guide to Italian basics.
Norwegian: God høytid!
If you’d like to wish your colleagues happy holidays in Norwegian, you can say “God høytid!” or “Høytidshilsen!” These both translate as “Happy holidays!” or “Holiday / season’s greetings!”
You could also say “Sending warm wishes for the holiday season!” — “Sender varme ønsker for høytiden!”
Learn more: 33 Must-know Norwegian phrases.
Polish: Wesołych świąt!
Looking for some holiday greetings in Polish? You can say “Wesołych świąt!” which means “Happy holidays!”
Alternatively, consider “Szczęśliwych i zdrowych świąt!” which means “Have a happy and healthy holiday season!”
Has the Polish language got you tongue-tied? Master the Polish alphabet with the help of our pronunciation guide.
Portuguese: Boas festas!
To wish someone happy holidays in Portuguese, say “Boas festas!” Alternatively, you could write: “Desejando a você um feriado feliz e saudável!” which means “Wishing you a happy and healthy holiday season!”
Learn more: How many people speak Portuguese and where is it spoken?
Russian: Весёлых праздников! (Vesëlykh prazdnikov!)
Want to send holiday wishes in Russian? You can say “Весёлых праздников!” (Vesëlykh prazdnikov!) which means “Happy holidays!” Another option is “Счастливых праздников!” (Schastlivykh prazdnikov!).
Depending on the season, you could also say “Весёлых зимних каникул!” (Vesolykh zimnikh kanikul!) which means “Have a great winter vacation.”
Learn more: Useful Russian proverbs for the cold season.
Spanish: ¡Felices Fiestas!
The best way to send holiday wishes to your colleagues in Spanish is to say “¡Felices Fiestas!” which simply means “Happy holidays!”
You could also say “Le deseamos unas felices y saludables fiestas” which means “Wishing you a happy and healthy holiday season.”
Learn more: 8 TikTok accounts to follow if you’re learning Spanish.
Swedish: Trevlig helg!
You’ve got various options when it comes to wishing your colleagues “Happy holidays!” in Swedish. You can say “God helg!”, “Trevlig helg!” or “Glad helg!”
“Helg” means holidays, and “God”, “Trevlig” and “Glad” are various ways of saying happy, good, and pleasant.
If it’s appropriate weather-wise, you could also say “Ha en bra vinterledighet!” which means “Have a great winter vacation!”
Looking to improve your Swedish over the holidays? Here are the 6 best films to help you learn Swedish.
Turkish: Mutlu tatiller!
If you want to send holiday greetings in Turkish, you can say “Mutlu tatiller!” or “İyi tatiller!” which both mean “Happy holidays!”
You could also say “Umarım çok iyi bir kış tatili geçirirsin!” which means “Have a great winter vacation!”
Want more awesome language guides? Learn how to wish your colleagues around the world a happy new year, or check out these multilingual phrases for wishing your colleagues a great vacation.
Are you ready for 2024? Jump into the new year with corporate language training
If you’re already thinking about how to do better business next year, consider corporate language learning. Perhaps you want to expand into new markets, improve communication between multilingual teams, or bridge cultural gaps in the workplace.
Whatever your goals, corporate language training has a proven impact on many different areas of business — from company culture and internal communication to individual employee confidence.
Learn more about the benefits of language learning for your company here, and discover the most effective, flexible, and cost-efficient language-learning solutions with Babbel for Business. Oh, and happy holidays!
