New Year Wishes From Our Family to Yours: 79 Lines for Cards, Group Chats, Your Daughter and Your Parents

In 1827, Count Karel Chotek, the highest official in Bohemia, reportedly decided he no longer had time to call on every family he knew at New Year, so he had the painter Josef Bergler make greeting cards for him instead. Czech and Slovak families still send "PF" cards (from the French pour féliciter, "to congratulate") with the number of the coming year, so this winter's will read PF 2027. In Japan, the New Year postcard called nengajō began with the same idea: tell the people you rarely see that you and your household are alive and well. That is still the whole point of a New Year greeting sent from one family to another.

The short answer: a New Year greeting from your family to theirs needs three things: who it's from (everyone, by name or as a household), one warm wish for the year ahead, and, if you know them well, one line about your year or theirs. Five you can copy as written:

• From our family to yours: Happy New Year! May 2027 bring you good health, easy laughter and plenty of time together.
• Wishing your whole household a peaceful, happy 2027. Thank you for being part of our year. Love, [the Garcias]
• Happy New Year from all of us, including the dog, who has already broken his resolution.
• From our table to yours, here's to a year of full plates, warm kitchens and the people who make them that way.
• May the new year treat your family as kindly as you've always treated ours. Happy 2027!

Below: how to sign a card from a whole family (and the apostrophe almost everyone gets wrong), then 74 more wishes written by our editors, sorted by who is sending and who is reading. The first half is for greetings from your household to friends, neighbors and other families; the second half is for your own people: your daughter, son, parents, grandparents and in-laws.

How to Sign a Card From the Whole Family

The signature does more work than people think. It tells the reader who is in your household this year, which is news in itself if there's a new baby, a new partner or someone who moved out. Pick the format that fits how well the recipients know each of you.

Sign it like this	Best for
The Garcias	Big mailing lists, neighbors, clients of a family business
Love, Maria, Tom, Ava and Leo	Friends and relatives who know every person
Maria and Tom (and Ava, Leo and Biscuit)	When the kids and pets are part of the joke
With love from the Patel-Okafor household	Blended or hyphenated families who'd rather not list names
Grandma Rose and Grandpa Joe	Cards from grandparents to the grandkids' families

The apostrophe rule. To say "more than one Garcia," add -s or -es with no apostrophe: the Garcias, the Smiths, the Joneses, the Martinezes. An apostrophe makes it possessive ("the Smiths' house"), so "Happy New Year from the Smith's" means "from the one belonging to Smith." If a name ending in -s, -z or -x looks odd with -es, sidestep it: "the Jones family" is always correct.

Who signs first? There's no fixed rule. Many families list the adults first and the children from oldest to youngest; others let whoever writes the card sign last. If the card goes mostly to one spouse's side, putting that person's name first helps older relatives place the card.

Lines for a Card From Your Family to Theirs

These fit a printed card or a handwritten note to friends and relatives you see a few times a year. They're warm without being personal, so one wording can go to many households.

• Happy New Year from our home to yours. We're grateful for every visit, call and kind word this past year.
• Our family wishes your family a 2027 full of good news, short lines and long weekends.
• Here's to another year of being in each other's lives. Happy New Year, with love from all of us.
• We hope the new year brings your family everything you've been waiting for, and a few nice surprises you weren't.
• From our noisy house to yours: may 2027 be healthy, happy and only a little bit chaotic.
• Wishing you a year of good mornings, safe travels and Sunday dinners worth staying for.
• Thank you for the friendship that keeps both our families going. Happy New Year, and see you soon.
• May your home be warm, your people close, and your new year a happy one. Love from [our family].
• Happy New Year! It was a joy to watch your kids grow this year. We can't wait to see what 2027 brings for all of you.
• New year, same hope as always: that we'll get to spend more of it together. Happy 2027 from all of us.

Short Captions for the Family Photo Card or Post

When the photo is the message, the words should step aside. Keep it to one line that reads well in a big script font, and put names on the back or in the post text.

• Happy New Year from our crew to yours.
• Same faces, new year. Cheers to 2027!
• Four of us, one couch, a whole new year.
• Peace, love and a fresh calendar. Happy 2027.
• We grew by one this year. Happy New Year from the five of us!
• Out with the old, in with the new (shoes, mostly). Happy New Year.
• Cheers to the year ahead, from our family to yours.
• Still smiling, still together, still not great at photos. Happy 2027!

Writing the Family Update Paragraph

Some families tuck a paragraph, or a full letter, inside the card. It's the one place an update about everyone's year belongs, and also the place it most often goes wrong, usually by turning into a list of achievements. A good update is short, honest and about the people rather than the trophies.

A simple shape: one sentence on the big picture of the year, one line per person (something they enjoyed, not something they won), one honest note if it was a hard year, and a closing wish for the reader.

Worked example: "2026 was a year of small changes for us. Ava started middle school and has opinions about everything, Leo learned to ride a bike in the school parking lot, and Tom finally finished the back porch. It was a harder year for Maria's mom, so we spent more weekends in Ohio, and we're grateful for every one of them. We hope your year was kind to you, and that 2027 brings all of you good health and good news."

That's about 75 words. Swap in your own details, keep the honesty, and keep it under 150 words if it's going inside a card rather than on a separate page.

For Neighbors, Teachers and Families You Know a Little

For the family across the street, your kids' teachers or the parents from the soccer sidelines, one friendly, general line is right. Signing as a household makes it easy.

• Happy New Year, neighbors! Thanks for the waves, the borrowed ladder and the shoveled sidewalk. From the [Garcias] at [number 14].
• Wishing your family a happy, healthy 2027. It's good to live next door to you.
• Happy New Year to our favorite sideline crew. See you at the first game of spring!
• Thank you for everything you did for [Ava] this year. Wishing you and your family a restful break and a happy new year.
• Happy New Year from our family to yours. Here's to another year on the same street.
• May 2027 be good to your whole family. Thank you for keeping an eye on our place while we were away.

For the Family Group Chat at Midnight

The extended-family group text fills up fast at 12:00. Get in early, keep it short, and if you're in a different time zone from most of them, send yours when it's midnight where the majority are.

• Happy New Year, family! Love you all. Let's make 2027 the year we finally pick a reunion date.
• It's midnight here! Happy New Year to the best and loudest family in the world.
• Happy 2027, everyone. Grateful for every single person in this chat (yes, even the one who sends minion memes).
• Cheers from [Denver]! Sending love and a slightly sleepy hug to every one of you.
• Happy New Year! Same wish as every year: everyone healthy, everyone happy, everyone at Grandma's in July.
• From our living room to all of yours: Happy New Year. Can't wait to see you all soon.
• Another year, another 4,000 messages in this chat. Happy New Year, family, I wouldn't mute you for the world.

New Year Wishes for Your Daughter

A message to a daughter carries more weight than most, whatever her age. The best ones are less about what she achieved this year and more about who she is. If she's small, read it to her; if she's grown, a text is fine, but a card is the one she'll keep.

• Happy New Year, sweetheart. Watching you grow this year was the best part of ours.
• Sweet girl, may 2027 give you the courage to try new things and the good sense to know when to rest.
• Happy New Year to the girl who makes our house louder, brighter and a lot more fun.
• Wherever 2027 takes you, you can always come home. Happy New Year, from Mom and Dad.
• Happy New Year to my grown-up girl. I'm proud of the life you're building, and I love being a small part of it.
• For your first New Year in your own place: may it be full of friends, good food and calls home (at least on Sundays).
• Happy New Year, kiddo. Whatever you resolve to do this year, I'm already in your corner.
• To my daughter and her family: we love watching you build traditions of your own. Happy New Year to all of you.
• You don't need a new you this year. The current one is pretty wonderful. Happy New Year, love.

Writing for the same daughter at Christmas too? Our Christmas wishes for a daughter from mom and dad go deeper by age, from little girls to a daughter with kids of her own.

For Your Son and His Family

Once a son has a partner and children, a greeting to him alone can feel like it leaves people out. Name the household, and say one thing to him directly.

• Happy New Year to you, [Jess] and the kids. We loved every visit this year and hope 2027 brings more of them.
• To my son: Happy New Year. You've become the kind of man I hoped you'd be, and a wonderful dad to boot.
• Wishing your whole family a happy, healthy new year. Give the little ones a big hug from Grandma and Grandpa.
• Happy New Year, son. Whatever this year asks of you, remember you've got a home team behind you.
• From our house to yours, son: may 2027 be easy on your back, kind to your wallet and full of good days.

For Parents and Grandparents

For parents and grandparents, gratitude is the right note. They don't need a resolution or a recap; they want to know they still matter to the family they built.

• Happy New Year, Mom and Dad. Everything good in our family started with you.
• Wishing you a new year of good health, slow mornings and lots of visits from the grandkids.
• Happy New Year, Grandma. Thank you for being the reason we all still gather in one place.
• To my parents: thank you for another year of advice, leftovers and rides to the airport. Happy New Year.
• Happy New Year, Grandpa! The kids already asked when they can come back for pancakes.
• May 2027 bring you as much comfort and joy as you've given all of us. With love, from your whole family.
• Happy New Year to the people who taught us what a family is supposed to feel like.

For In-Laws

A card to your in-laws from your household is a quiet way of saying "we're one family." Keep it warm and include your partner in the sign-off.

• Happy New Year to the family that welcomed me in as one of their own. Love from [both of us].
• Wishing you a wonderful 2027. Thank you for every Sunday dinner and every time you made room at the table.
• Happy New Year from our family to yours, which, luckily, is the same family now.
• Thank you for raising someone so easy to love. Happy New Year, and we'll see you soon.
• May the new year bring you good health and plenty of time to enjoy it. Happy 2027, from all of us.

When a Family Had a Hard Year

In Japan, a family that has lost someone during the year doesn't send New Year postcards at all. Instead they mail a simple mourning card, mochū hagaki, so friends know not to send cheerful greetings. In the US there's no such rule, but the instinct behind it is sound: if you or they lost someone, leave out the confetti. Wish them peace and say you're there. (For more on what to say to someone grieving through the holidays, see our holiday messages for someone who lost a loved one.)

• Thinking of your family as this year ends. We hope 2027 brings you peace, and we're here whenever you need us.
• This year was hard for you all. We're wishing you a gentler one, and we'd love to help where we can.
• We know the holidays feel different without [Dad]. Sending love to your whole family as the new year begins.
• No big wishes this year, just a quiet one: that 2027 is kind to you, and that you know how many people care.
• From our family, a warm hug for yours as you start a new year carrying a lot. We're thinking of you.
• It's been a tough year for us, but your kindness made it lighter. Thank you, and Happy New Year to all of you.

Faith-Filled Family Blessings

For relatives and church friends who'd welcome a blessing, these keep the faith simple. If you want a Bible verse in the card, our Christian New Year wishes with Bible verses pair each blessing with its source.

• May God bless your family in 2027 with health, peace and hearts full of gratitude. Happy New Year.
• Praying that the new year brings your home His peace and your family His joy.
• From our family to yours: may every day of 2027 rest in God's care.
• We thank God for your family and pray for His blessing on all of you in the year ahead.
• Happy New Year! May your table be full, your home be blessed and your faith stay strong.

Funny Lines From a Chaotic Household

For friends who've seen the inside of your house and laughed about it, honesty is funnier than any joke.

• Happy New Year from a family that stayed up until 9:45 and called it midnight.
• Our resolution: find all the matching socks. Last year's resolution: same. Happy 2027!
• Wishing your family a 2027 with fewer Legos underfoot than ours had.
• Happy New Year! We didn't get a family photo where everyone was looking, so please enjoy this blurry one.
• From our house of four people, two cats and zero quiet moments: Happy New Year!
• We hope your new year is as organized as our holiday card list. (We're sorry if this card is late.)

What to Leave Out

The brag list. Grades, promotions and the new kitchen sound different to someone who had a rough year. One proud line per person is plenty.

Things the kids wouldn't want shared. A teenager's breakup or a health scare isn't news for 60 households. Ask before you mention anyone by more than their name.

Politics and big opinions. A family card goes to people of every view. Keep it to wishes.

The same message to everyone in a group text. Copy-pasted wishes in one family chat are easy to spot. Change one line per person if you're messaging them one by one.

The apostrophe in the family name. "The Garcias," not "The Garcia's." See the signing section above.

When to Send a New Year Card in 2026–27

New Year's Day 2027 falls on a Friday, so New Year's Eve is Thursday, December 31, 2026. A few timing rules of thumb:

• Mailed cards: aim for them to arrive between December 26 and January 5. The US Postal Service's recommended mail-by date for First-Class holiday cards to arrive by Christmas in 2026 is December 17, so mailing New Year cards in the week before Christmas gives them time without getting lost in the Christmas rush.
• Late is fine in January. A card that says "Happy New Year" is welcome until the middle of the month; after that, call it a winter hello.
• Texts and group chats: midnight in the recipient's time zone, or the next morning if they're early sleepers.
• If you skipped Christmas cards: a New Year card is a perfectly good substitute, and it can include people who don't celebrate Christmas.

Need more lines for friends and coworkers outside the family? Our New Year wishes for texts, cards and captions are sorted by situation.

Quick Questions

How do you sign a New Year card from the whole family? Use "The [Last name]s" with no apostrophe for a big list, or every first name ("Love, Maria, Tom, Ava and Leo") for people who know you all. Pets are optional but popular.

What is a good caption for a family New Year's message? One short line that lets the photo do the talking: "Happy New Year from our crew to yours" or "Same faces, new year. Cheers to 2027!" Put names and updates in the post text, not on the photo.

What should I write to my daughter for the New Year? Something about who she is rather than what she did: "You don't need a new you this year. The current one is pretty wonderful." If she's grown and lives away, add that she can always come home.

Is it too late to send New Year cards in January? No. Cards are fine until about mid-January. In some countries, like Japan, they're timed to arrive on January 1 itself.