We wish you a Mao-y Christmas.

Although most Chinese people don’t really celebrate Christmas (or understand what the holiday is, for that matter), it’s becoming more and more popular. In fact, if you visited Beijing in December, you’d probably think the entire population of the city celebrated Christmas – trees are everyone, “Jingle Bells” is playing non-stop, and you’ll even see a parade of Santas spreading holiday cheer around the city. Of course, the main draw for most people in China is the holiday shopping. Mega-malls are running huge Christmas sales, and the ever-growing Chinese middle class eats them right up. It’s not all about the shopping, though – more and more Chinese people are becoming interested in the real reason for the season. In fact, midnight mass will be packed in Beijing churches (yes, those exist) tonight. It’ll be interesting to see how Christmas in China evolves over the coming years. Here’s a Christmas gift from me to all of you – a bunch of Chinese Christmas vocabulary:

Most importantly, let’s learn how to say “Merry Christmas” in Chinese:

Merry Christmas!

圣诞节快乐!

shèng dàn jié kuài lè

With this video, you can learn how to write it out in Chinese characters so you can send a Christmas card to your loved ones in Chinese:

Watch these silly cartoon videos to practice your listening comprehension as the characters talk about Christmas: