I want to send unique Happy New Year 2025 wishes to friends and family, but everything I’ve found online is either generic or too long. I’m looking for short, meaningful messages (75 characters or less) that sound sincere and fit American English. If anyone has good ideas or examples, I’d appreciate your help!
Totally feel you on the struggle for non-cringey, ACTUALLY short New Year wishes. Every year, I swear half the internet is just “may your dreams come true” clones with sparkles slapped on. Here’s some I came up with or sent last year that people actually replied to (which is saying somthing):
- “Here’s to new laughs in 2025
” - “Wishing you fresh starts & zero regrets!”
- “2025: More joy, less crap. Cheers!”
- “Let’s level up this year. Happy 2025!”
- “May your playlists stay fire all year”
- “Cheers to better coffee & fewer Mondays”
- “Sending you good vibes all 2025”
- “Survived another year—let’s do it again!”
- “Hope your 2025 is chill and epic”
- “New year, same us—thankfully.”
Honestly, short and punchy is the way to go. I’ve noticed that if your message sounds like something you’d actually say in person, people respond way more. If you want to make it even more personal, slap an inside joke at the end (“and may your plants survive longer this year!”).
Also, pro tip: If you’re group texting, change it up per person—even tiny tweaks stop ‘em from looking copy-pasted. And please, avoid the dancing champagne emojis unless your cousin is fourteen.
If anyone else has lines that didn’t make your family roll their eyes, I’m all for stealing them. Why is it so hard to not sound like a robot at midnight?
Not gonna lie, I think @nachtdromer nailed it with the “actual human” approach, but tbh, I always roll my eyes a bit at group text tweaks—life’s too short to craft 15 totally different versions unless you’re REALLY close to each person. Imo, people can sniff out generic wishes, but they also kind of EXPECT it (like, Aunt Ruth isn’t judging you for not writing her a haiku).
Here’s my quick-and-dirty strategy: I focus on honest, tiny details about the person, but keep it even shorter than most. Something like, “May your coffee be strong & your Mondays merciful,” or, “Hope 2025 treats your plants better than 2024 did.” Basically, just reference one thing that happened/happens—to you, them, or everyone—and it feels less robotic, but you’re not writing a novel.
Also, not sure I totally agree about the inside joke rule. Sometimes that gets exclusionary or falls flat, especially in family texts where not everyone gets it. Instead, small tweaks like referencing work, kids, pets, or that vacation everyone talks about can do the trick. Even a “Still waiting for your lasagna recipe in 2025!” goes a long way.
And honestly, don’t sweat originality too much. The bar is LOW. Nobody is expecting Oscar Wilde at 12:01am. If you sound truly “sincere”—even if it’s just “Hope 2025 is kinder to us all”—it lands. With all the cringe out there, you being real is already refreshing.