Football star Neymar, who is on vacation from Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) until early January, spent Christmas Eve with his family in Santos, a coastal city in Brazil's Sao Paulo state.

"Family, Merry Christmas," Neymar said in an Instagram post on Monday.

The former Barcelona star, who joined PSG earlier this year, posted several photos of himself wearing a Santa Claus hat with his mother Nadine Gonçalves, father Neymar Senior, and little sister Rafaella, reports Efe.

The Brazilian national team star arrived home on Saturday and plans to welcome 2018 in Brazil on New Year's Eve before heading back to Paris and returning to action.

After arriving in Brazil, Neymar went straight to a charity function organised by midfielder Nenê and actor Caio Castro in Jundiai, a city in the interior of Sao Paulo state, to fight hunger.

On Saturday night, the 25-year-old attended a birthday party for friend and surfer Gabriel Medina that was also attended by Nenê and Lucas Lima, who will be playing for Palmeiras next season.

Neymar paid a visit to his favourite tattoo artists before joining his family for a big Christmas Eve celebration.

He added a couple of new designs to his collection of body art.

Earlier this month, Neymar had to leave PSG and fly home to deal with an undisclosed "family matter" that the press reported involved the 21-year-old Rafaella.