As the countdown to Christmas is now well under way it got me thinking (again!) – how do we wish someone a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year in Italian?

Have you decorated your tree yet?

If you ask the Google Translate boffins they give you –

Google boffins do their translation stuff!

Pronounced “Bwon Nah-TAH-ley” (with the emphasis on the middle syllable), it literally means good Christmas.

If you want to be a bit fancy you could go for Merry Christmas and Happy New Year which would be Buon Natale e felice anno nuovo, pronounced “Bwon Nah-TAH-ley ay feh-LEE-chay AHN-noh NWOH-voh” with the emphasis on the syllables in capitals.

Or if you or the recipient are strong believers in the Christian faith, you may want to use Santo Natale 
e un prospero Anno Nuovo which means A holy Christmas and a prosperous New Year and…