New Year Video Greeting Ideas That Beat Another Fireworks GIF

At midnight on New Year's Eve, roughly every phone on the planet receives the same fireworks animation from someone's uncle. Yours does not have to be one of them. A New Year video greeting can be small, specific and funny, and it arrives in the one week of the year when people actually have time to watch things.

What makes a good New Year video greeting?

A good New Year greeting has one idea, looks forward, and sounds like you. It says goodbye to the old year in one line, wishes something specific for the new one, and ends with your name. Ten to twenty seconds is plenty. The best ones feel like a toast, not a speech.

Goodbye to one thing. Hello to one thing. Cheers.

What are some New Year video greeting ideas?

Here are twelve that work, for family, friends and work. Pick one, and let everything else in the film serve that idea.

• The clock strikes you A drawn clock ticks to midnight, and instead of fireworks, your family name pops out. Simple and yours.
• Out with the old The old year packs a suitcase and leaves, grumbling. The new one arrives with a party hat. "Bye, 2026. Hello, 2027."
• The resolution reveal Everyone in the family announces a resolution. One of them is "eat more cheese". Every family has that person.
• The honest resolution "This year I will go to the gym." Cut to a couch. "Happy New Year. Let's be realistic together."
• The year in one word Each person says one word for the year behind. Then one word for the year ahead.
• The calendar flip Twelve drawn calendar pages fly off, one tiny highlight on each. Only if you have twelve short highlights; otherwise pick three.
• The time zone greeting For family abroad: "It's already next year where you are. How is it? Any spoilers?"
• The toast A drawn glass raised to a named person: "To Aunt May, who hosted us all year. Happy New Year."
• The fresh page A blank notebook, one line written on it: your wish for them. Quiet and lovely.
• The late Christmas card Missed Christmas? Own it. "Our Christmas card was so late it became a New Year card. Happy New Year!"
• The business thank-you A short look back at what you did with your customers, then "See you in the new year."
• The new chapter For a big change: a move, a baby coming, a new job. "New year, new address. Come visit."

What should you say in a Happy New Year video?

Say one thing about the year that ended and one wish for the year ahead. Keep the wish concrete: "more Sunday dinners together" is warmer than "health, wealth and happiness". Here are lines to copy or remix:

• "Happy New Year! Thanks for being in our last year. Please stay for the next one."
• "Wishing you a new year with more naps and fewer passwords."
• "Here's to a year of saying yes to the things that matter and no to group projects."
• "Happy New Year from the Nguyens. Same family, new calendar."
• "May your new year be kinder than the old one. We are right here if it isn't."
• "Happy New Year, Grandpa. Our resolution is to call more. You may hold us to it."
• "New year, same us, even more grateful for you."

When should you send a New Year video greeting?

Send it between December 30 and January 2. At exactly midnight, your film is one of hundreds of messages. On the afternoon of the 31st or the morning of the 1st, people are slow, cozy and actually watching. For business greetings, the first working days of January are ideal.

How do you make a New Year greeting video?

1. Step 1

   Choose one idea. From the list above, or your own. Write it on a sticky note so you stay honest.

2. Step 2

   Write the two lines. One about the year behind, one wish ahead.

3. Step 3

   Make it on the 29th or 30th. Not on the 31st at 11:40 p.m. with a glass in your hand.

4. Step 4

   Make it tall for phones. Everyone watches New Year greetings on a phone, often lying on a sofa.

5. Step 5

   Schedule your sends. Earlier time zones first, so everyone gets it on their own New Year.

Can one greeting work for Christmas and New Year?

Yes, and it saves effort. Make a "happy holidays and happy New Year" film in mid-December, or keep your Christmas film's words and change one line for New Year. Our article on a greeting for the holidays after Christmas explains why a written greeting can be reused all year. For the Christmas side, see Christmas video greeting ideas.

The quick way: a New Year film in Nine

Nine makes short drawn films with a voice, music and sound effects. Tell it just an idea, like "the old year packs a suitcase and leaves", and the crew makes it while you watch. Or type your name and one line into a template for a quick card. Businesses can give their website address, and Nine reads their colors and typeface so the greeting looks like them.

Want something changed? Say it in plain words: "more sparkle at midnight", "slower clock". You get a video file in tall, square and wide, and you send it yourself. Plans start at $29 a month for films up to 20 seconds. See pricing or try it now. Sending to older relatives? Read how to send a video card by text first.