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Year-End Greetings: What to Write and How to Capitalize Them

Choose a year-end greeting to suit the recipient, occasion, and setting, with ready-to-use examples and a clear guide to holiday capitalization.

By ThatPainter Team 4 min read
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The best year-end greeting fits the person receiving it and the reason you’re writing. Name a holiday when you know it’s appropriate; choose “Happy New Year,” “Happy holidays,” or “Season’s greetings” when you want a broader wish. For a card, email, or conversation, a brief personal detail often makes the message feel warmer than a stock phrase.

Choose a greeting that fits the recipient

Think about three things before you write: what the recipient celebrates, how well you know them, and whether the message is personal or professional. No single phrase is right for everyone. The OECD’s 2025 style guide advises respectful, neutral language and using the terms people and communities use for themselves. Singapore’s Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth likewise encourages respectful and inclusive greetings, while Emily Post suggests New Year wishes or season’s greetings when a recipient does not celebrate Christmas or would rather not receive that greeting.

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When you know the recipient’s holiday

A specific greeting such as “Merry Christmas” is a natural choice when you know the person celebrates Christmas and the wording suits your relationship. The same principle applies to other holidays: use the name and terms the recipient uses, rather than assuming everyone observes the same holiday.

When the audience is mixed or you are unsure

“Happy New Year,” “Happy holidays,” and “Season’s greetings” let you send good wishes without naming a particular religious holiday. Choose the one that matches the message: New Year wishes focus on the year ahead; holiday and season’s greetings cover a broader seasonal occasion. These are options, not a ranking of what every recipient prefers.

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Year-end greeting examples for different situations

Use these as starting points. Add a detail that is true for the recipient—such as a shared project, a memorable moment, or a sincere wish—to make the note your own.

Personal card or message

  • “Happy New Year! I’m grateful for all the time we spent together this year. Wishing you plenty of good things in the year ahead.”
  • “Season’s greetings! Hope you have a peaceful holiday season and a bright start to the new year.”
  • “Merry Christmas! I hope the day brings you a chance to relax and enjoy time with the people you love.”

Professional email or message

  • “Happy holidays, and thank you for your partnership this year. Wishing you a restful break and a successful start to the new year.”
  • “Season’s greetings. I appreciate your work with our team this year and wish you all the best in the year ahead.”
  • “Happy New Year! I look forward to working together in the coming year.”

For colleagues, clients, or a broad mailing list, keep the message courteous and concise. Use a recipient’s name where practical, and avoid assuming how they celebrate if you do not know.

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Short spoken greeting

  • “Happy New Year—wishing you a great year ahead.”
  • “Happy holidays! I hope you get some time to recharge.”
  • “Season’s greetings. It’s been a pleasure working with you.”

How to capitalize “Happy holidays” and “New Year”

The Government of Canada’s Language Portal distinguishes a greeting that stands alone from one used within a sentence:

  • Standalone greeting: “Happy holidays!” or “Happy New Year!”
  • Within a sentence: “Wishing you happy holidays.”

Capitalize “New Year” when referring to the holiday, as in “Happy New Year!” Use lowercase “new year” when you mean the year ahead: “All the best in the new year.”

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What survey preferences can—and cannot—tell you

Surveys offer a snapshot of stated preferences, not a universal etiquette rule. The figures below describe different respondents, questions, and years, so they should not be treated as directly interchangeable.

Survey and scope Reported responses How to read the result
YouGov, 1,136 U.S. adult citizens, fielded December 11–13, 2024; asked about seasonal greeting preference 65% preferred “Merry Christmas”; 26% preferred “Happy holidays”; 5% said they did not use seasonal greetings A result for this U.S. sample and field period, not a measure of what every audience prefers.
Greeting Card Association-hosted business greeting-card survey, 2022; respondents could select multiple desired greetings “Happy Holidays,” 51.6%; “Merry Christmas,” 47.2%; “Season’s Greetings,” 44.0%; “Happy New Year,” 32.0% Multiple selections were allowed; these are survey responses, not population-wide market shares.
Same 2022 business-card survey; asked about card content Traditional/classic, 59.6%; logo compatibility, 42.5%; neutral/secular, 31.2%; religious/spiritual-faith, 14.0% These are responses to a separate content question, not a ranking of greetings.

The results show that people choose different wording in different settings. For an individual message, what you know about the recipient is more useful than applying a poll’s majority preference to everyone.

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Why cards remain a familiar way to send year-end wishes

Printed greetings have a long history, though no short account captures the full range of New Year traditions across cultures. The Greeting Card Association traces goodwill messages for the New Year to ancient Chinese exchanges, identifies 1843 as the year of the first known published Christmas card in London, and lists Louis Prang’s first complete line of Christmas cards in America in 1875.

The Henry Ford preserves a card dated 1928 that reads, “The Season’s Greetings With all Kind Thoughts and Best Wishes for Christmas and The New Year.” The museum describes commercially designed greeting cards as an American tradition by the 1920s and 1930s. The card is one example of a message that combines Christmas and New Year wishes.

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