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On to New Year’s Wishes

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Lynn Gaertner-Johnston Updated on

Update on December 27, 2011: For New Year's greetings, read this post.

If you–like me–have not yet mailed all your business and personal holiday greetings, you are probably too late for Hanukkah and Christmas. However, you–like me–are just in time to send New Year's greetings. (This thought sustains me.) So I wanted to help you with that tricky New Year's punctuation and capitalization.

These are correct:

  • Happy New Year!
  • We wish you a beautiful new year.
  • Happy 2007!
  • We look forward to working with you in the new year.

These also are correct:

  • We send you New Year's wishes.
  • We will see you New Year's Eve.
  • On New Year's Day and every day, we wish you joy and happiness.

The point is that New Year's Day and New Year's Eve have apostrophes. Of course, New Year does not. And if you are referring to the holiday, it is capitalized: New Year's Day. But if you are simply referring to next year, it is not: in the new year. (Although "Happy New Year!" is standard.)

In December 2005, I wrote message templates for New Year's greetings. You can find them and other suggestions on New Year's greetings here.

Happy holidays! Happy New Year!

Until next year–week,

Lynn

Posted by Lynn Gaertner Johnson
By Lynn Gaertner-Johnston

Lynn Gaertner-Johnston has helped thousands of employees and managers improve their business writing skills and confidence through her company, Syntax Training. In her corporate training career of more than 20 years, she has worked with executives, engineers, scientists, sales staff, and many other professionals, helping them get their messages across with clarity and tact.

A gifted teacher, Lynn has led writing classes at more than 100 companies and organizations such as MasterCard, Microsoft, Boeing, Nintendo, REI, AARP, Ledcor, and Kaiser Permanente. Near her home in Seattle, Washington, she has taught managerial communications in the MBA programs of the University of Washington and UW Bothell. She has created a communications course, Business Writing That Builds Relationships, and provides the curriculum at no cost to college instructors.

A recognized expert in business writing etiquette, Lynn has been quoted in "The Wall Street Journal," "The Atlantic," "Vanity Fair," and other media.

Lynn sharpened her business writing skills at the University of Notre Dame, where she earned a master's degree in communication, and at Bradley University, with a bachelor's degree in English. She grew up in suburban Chicago, Illinois.

11 comments on “On to New Year’s Wishes”

  • Lynn,

    I wish you a happy New Year as well.
    Thank you for all the educational articles you have written this year.

    Thanks,

    Patrick

  • hi, can you please help me to write an email message to send to the guests to wish them haapy new year.
    Regards

  • Hello….I am late trying to send some of my prospect clients a New Years greeting…

    Will you help me with right words,

    Tks.
    ceciñia

  • Dear Lynn,
    I hope all is well with you,
    I want to send a happy new year formal email to my professor, would you please help me with that? and could you please email me?
    thanks in advance
    shamim

  • Hello, Shamim. I am afraid I do not have time to email you with a sample message.

    I wish you success in your communication. One effective way to write is to capitalize your name, the first word of each sentence, and the first word of the complimentary close.

    Lynn

Comments are closed.

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