In my hometown as a kid, "Merry Christmas" was "Joyeux Noël"

It’s been many years since I greeted my Franco-American aunts, uncles and grandparents in French at Christmas get-togethers in Southbridge, Mass., which had a large population of transplanted Québécois and their descendants. All of those relations are long gone or far distant now, and I’ve grown accustomed to offering holiday cheer in English when I’m out and about.

That’s just what I did while shopping yesterday, even though I had just learned that the retailer I was dealing with here in Maine had, like me, grown up in a French-speaking home. “Merry Christmas,” I said automatically as Liz and I completed our transaction. He replied in kind.

But as we began to walk away, I turned back impulsively and said with a wave "Joyeux Noël.” Breaking into a big smile, the man offered a hearty, enthusiastic “Joyeux Noël” of his own. For the briefest of moments, I felt like a kid again. Maybe he did too. I hope so.