Christmas Wishes and Messages: 150+ Heartfelt Greetings & Blessings

Christmas Day falls on Friday, December 25, 2026, which means one long, unhurried holiday weekend to fill with the people you love and a few words worth sending before the day gets busy. This page gathers more than 150 original Christmas wishes and messages you can copy, adapt, and send as they are.

You will find warm greetings for everyone on your list, longer messages written for family, and friendly lines for friends near and far. There are Christmas blessings and short prayers for cards and dinner tables, professional wishes for coworkers and clients, and a whole section of short messages that fit neatly on a card or in a quick text.

If this Christmas is a tender one, the section for hard years was written gently, with room for grief. Faith-filled and non-religious options sit side by side, so you can match every message to the person receiving it. When the big day turns into a slow holiday weekend, our weekend blessings will carry the warmth right through Sunday. Browse all our Holiday Wishes & Greetings for every festival.

Christmas Wishes and Messages for Everyone

1. Merry Christmas! May your day be filled with good food, easy laughter, and the people who make every ordinary day better.
2. Wishing you a Christmas that feels the way it should warm rooms, full plates, and hearts even fuller.
3. May the lights on your tree be matched by the light in your home this Christmas. Have a beautiful day.
4. Sending you a sleigh full of good wishes: health in the new year, peace in your home, and joy in every ordinary day.
5. Merry Christmas to you and yours. May your cocoa be hot, your carols be loud, and your worries be very far away.
6. Hope your Christmas morning starts with wonder and your evening ends with gratitude. Merry Christmas.
7. Wishing you twinkling lights, cosy blankets, and at least one moment today when you stop and think, “This is exactly where I want to be.”
8. May your Christmas be merry in the big ways and bright in the little ones a favourite song, a shared joke, and a reason to be grateful.
9. From our home to yours, Merry Christmas. May the season wrap you in every good thing it has to give.
10. Here’s to a Christmas of open doors and open hearts. Wishing you a day that gives you stories to retell all year.
11. May peace settle over your home like fresh snow this Christmas quietly, softly, and beautifully.
12. Wishing you the merriest of Christmases and a new year that treats you kindly from the very first day.

Merry Christmas Messages for Family

1. Merry Christmas to the family that makes every house feel like home. Thank you for the loud dinners, the long hugs, and the love that never runs out.
2. Home was never a place for us it was always each other. Merry Christmas, family. I am grateful for every one of you.
3. To my wonderful family: may our table be crowded, our laughter be loud, and our leftovers last for days. Merry Christmas!
4. Christmas with this family is my favourite tradition of all. Thank you for another year of showing up for each other in every way that matters.
5. Wishing my dear family a Christmas filled with the things money cannot buy time together, old stories, and the comfort of being fully known and fully loved.
6. Merry Christmas, Mom and Dad. Everything good about our holidays started with you, and it still does. Thank you for every sacrifice we never even noticed.
7. To my siblings: we may argue about everything from board games to the last slice of pie, but there is no one else I would rather share Christmas with. Love you all.
8. May our family’s Christmas be rich in the currency that counts health, humour, and another year of having each other. Merry Christmas!
9. Grandma and Grandpa, Christmas at your table taught us what love looks like in practice. Wishing you a day as warm as the home you built for all of us.
10. For every cousin, aunt, uncle, and in-law who makes this family bigger and better Merry Christmas. The more chairs we squeeze around the table, the richer we are.
11. This year gave our family its share of storms, and still we are here, together, celebrating. That is the real gift. Merry Christmas, with all my love.
12. To the newest members of our family and the ones who have been here forever: may this Christmas add another layer of happy memories to the ones we already treasure.

Christmas Wishes for Friends

1. Merry Christmas, my friend! Thank you for being the family I got to choose. Hope your day is full of everything you love most.
2. Wishing you a Christmas as fun as you are which means the neighbours may need earplugs by dessert. Have the best day!
3. Friends like you are the real reason my year sparkled. Merry Christmas, and thank you for every laugh, rescue, and late-night talk.
4. May your Christmas be filled with good company and since I cannot be there in person for all of it, consider this message my official hug delivery.
5. To my favourite partner in crime: may your stocking be stuffed, your eggnog be strong, and your January be gentle. Merry Christmas!
6. Christmas cards are for saying the things we forget to say all year, so here it is plainly: I am so glad you exist, and so glad you are my friend.
7. Wishing you rest, friend. Real rest the kind with naps, leftovers, and a phone that stays in another room. You have earned every minute of it.
8. May your holiday be merry, your relatives be brief, and your group chat be full of photos I get to admire from my couch. Merry Christmas!
9. Thank you for another year of being my emergency contact for both crises and celebrations. Merry Christmas to a truly one-of-a-kind friend.
10. Hope Santa treats you better than you behaved this year. (I will not tell him a thing.) Merry Christmas, you wonderful troublemaker.
11. Distance, schedules, and life got in the way of seeing you enough this year but not of loving you. Merry Christmas, dear friend. Next year, more us.
12. Sending you a Christmas wish wrapped in gratitude: for your honesty, your humour, and the way you make hard days lighter just by being in them.

Christmas Blessings and Prayers

1. Lord, on this Christmas Day we thank You for the gift of Your Son and for every good gift gathered around our table. Bless this home with peace, bless this food to our strength, and bless each heart here with gratitude that lasts long after the lights have come down. Amen.
2. Heavenly Father, as we celebrate the birth of Jesus, fill this house with the same quiet joy that filled the stable. Let Your peace rest on every person here, and let Your love be the loudest sound in the room. Amen.
3. Dear God, thank You for sending light into a dark world and hope into our ordinary lives. This Christmas, open our eyes to the people around us who need kindness, and give us generous hands to answer. Amen.
4. Bless this family, Lord, as we celebrate together. Keep the travellers safe on every road, comfort the ones who could not be with us, and let the love we share today carry us through the whole year ahead. Amen.
5. Jesus, Prince of Peace, we welcome You into our Christmas and into our hearts anew. Quiet our hurried minds, heal what is strained between us, and let Your peace rule in this home today and always. Amen.
6. Father, for the hands that prepared this meal and the hands we get to hold around this table, we give You thanks. Bless the lonely with company this Christmas, the grieving with comfort, and all of us with hearts that notice Your goodness. Amen.
7. Lord Jesus, born in humility and laid in a manger, teach us to love the small and simple gifts of this day. May our celebration honour You in word, in generosity, and in the way we treat one another. Amen.
8. God of wonder, thank You for the miracle we celebrate heaven touching earth in a Bethlehem stable. Fill our Christmas with that same wonder, and let awe turn into praise in every corner of this home. Amen.
9. Gracious God, as candles glow and carols rise, we pray for those spending Christmas in hospital rooms, on night shifts, and far from home. Be near to them, and use us to carry Your comfort wherever it is needed. Amen.
10. Thank You, Lord, for the gift of this family and the gift of this day. Bless our conversation with kindness, our memories with sweetness, and our coming year with Your guiding hand over every plan. Amen.
11. Almighty God, who gave the greatest gift of all, make us a giving people. Bless the gifts we exchange today with the love behind them, and remind us that every good thing we enjoy first came from You. Amen.
12. As this Christmas Day draws toward evening, we thank You, Father, for joy that did not depend on perfect circumstances. Keep Your peace on this household tonight, and let the hope of this holy day stay with us into the new year. Amen.

Merry Christmas Wishes for Coworkers and Clients

1. Merry Christmas! Thank you for being such a great person to work with this year. Wishing you a relaxing holiday and a well-earned break.
2. Season’s greetings to you and your family. It has been a pleasure working alongside you enjoy every minute of the holiday downtime.
3. Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Thank you for your hard work, your good humour, and your steady presence in every meeting that mattered.
4. Happy holidays! May your inbox stay quiet, your calendar stay empty, and your Christmas be filled with whatever makes you happiest.
5. Thank you for a year of collaboration we could truly count on. Wishing you and yours a warm, restful Christmas and a year of good projects.
6. Merry Christmas to a wonderful colleague. Working with you has been one of the genuine highlights of my year.
7. We appreciate your business and your trust throughout the year. From all of us, warm wishes for a Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year.
8. Season’s greetings! However you celebrate, we hope the holidays bring you rest, good company, and a fresh start in January.
9. Wishing you a Christmas break with zero meetings, zero deadlines, and absolutely no reason to check your email. You have earned every minute of it.
10. Thank you for every project, every deadline met, and every problem solved together this year. Merry Christmas, and here is to an easier, brighter year ahead.
11. Happy Christmas to our valued clients and partners. Your support made this year possible, and we look forward to serving you well in the year to come.
12. May your holidays be restful and your return in January be gentle. Merry Christmas, and thank you for everything.

Funny Christmas Wishes

1. Merry Christmas! I hope Santa saw the good version of your year I have taken care of hiding the security footage from the rest of it.
2. Wishing you a Christmas where the wrapping paper comes off easily, the batteries are included, and nobody says the words “some assembly required.”
3. Congratulations on surviving another year of pretending the reindeer ate the cookies. Merry Christmas to a truly dedicated Santa accomplice!
4. May your Christmas be like a good fruitcake surprisingly delightful and gone before anyone has to discuss it. Have a merry one!
5. I was going to get you something incredible this year, but then I remembered you already have me as a friend. Merry Christmas, you lucky person.
6. Here’s hoping your relatives ask only easy questions this Christmas, like “would you like more pie?” Merry Christmas!
7. Merry Christmas! May your tree be straight, your lights untangled on the first try, and your leftovers last until New Year.
8. Santa called. He said you have been good this year mostly, sort of, in a technical sense. Merry Christmas anyway!
9. Wishing you the confidence of a cat sitting in the middle of the nativity scene like it owns the stable. Merry Christmas!
10. May your Christmas dinner be delicious and your stretchy waistband be forgiving. Priorities, friend. Priorities.
11. I hope your gift wrapping looks better than mine. Mine appears to have been done by a determined raccoon. Merry Christmas!
12. Merry Christmas! Let us eat, drink, and be merry and let January worry about January. That is future us, and future us is very capable.

Short Christmas Messages and Card Verses

1. Merry Christmas wishing you peace, joy, and a home full of love.
2. Warmest wishes for a bright and beautiful Christmas Day.
3. Joy to you and yours this Christmas and always.
4. May your Christmas sparkle with love and laughter.
5. Wishing you comfort, cheer, and cocoa by the fire.
6. Merry Christmas! Grateful for you today and every day.
7. Peace on earth, and plenty of it in your home.
8. Sending love and light your way this Christmas.
9. Have yourself a merry, cosy, wonderful Christmas.
10. To your health, your happiness, and a very Merry Christmas.
11. May your days be merry, bright, and full of cake.
12. With love at Christmas and thanks for you all year.

Christmas Wishes for Loved Ones Far Away

1. Miles may separate us this Christmas, but you will be right there in every carol, every recipe, and every story we tell. Merry Christmas we miss you more than this card can say.
2. Wishing I could hand you this wish in person with a hug attached. Until I can, let these words carry it: Merry Christmas, and I love you across every mile.
3. The chair may be empty, but your place in this family’s Christmas is never vacant. Raising a glass to you from afar Merry Christmas, dear one.
4. Different time zones, same Christmas sky. When you look up tonight, know that someone over here is thinking of you with a full and grateful heart.
5. I saved you a slice of everything and a seat in every conversation. Merry Christmas from all of us at home next year, we are making up for lost time.
6. Distance has nothing on a lifetime of shared Christmases. Every tradition we keep this year has your fingerprints on it. Merry Christmas, with love from home.
7. Sending this wish by card, by call, and by carrier pigeon if needed: you are loved, you are missed, and you are so very celebrated this Christmas.
8. May your Christmas, wherever you are spending it, be filled with kind people, good food, and the certainty that home is cheering for you. Merry Christmas!
9. The hardest part of the holidays is the distance between the people I love. Thank you for making even far away feel close. Merry Christmas, my dear.
10. Somewhere between your Christmas morning and mine, I hope this message finds you smiling. You are the first person I thought of when the lights went up this year.
11. For the one serving, studying, or working far from home this Christmas: your sacrifice does not go unnoticed, and neither do you. Merry Christmas, hero of our hearts.
12. Until the year we are all under one roof again, I will keep sending my love ahead of me in messages like this. Merry Christmas home is wherever you are thought of, and you are thought of here.

Religious Christmas Messages

1. Merry Christmas! “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.” May the wonder of His birth fill your heart with fresh joy today.
2. This Christmas, I am thanking God for the gift of Jesus and for the gift of you. May His peace rest on your home and His love lead you into the new year.
3. Rejoice! The promise of Isaiah is fulfilled: a child is born, a Son is given, and He is the Prince of Peace. Wishing you a Christmas centred on Christ and rich in His joy.
4. May the light that shone over Bethlehem shine into every corner of your life this Christmas. God is with us Immanuel and that changes everything. Merry Christmas!
5. As we celebrate the Word made flesh, I pray your faith is strengthened and your heart is warmed by the nearness of God. Have a blessed and holy Christmas.
6. Merry Christmas! May the Saviour who came in humility be honoured in our homes, our giving, and our gratitude today and may His grace carry you through the year ahead.
7. Glory to God in the highest! Wishing you a Christmas filled with worship, wonder, and the deep peace the angels sang about over Bethlehem’s fields.
8. This season we remember that God kept His promise at exactly the right time. Whatever you are waiting for, may Christmas remind you that He is faithful. Merry Christmas!
9. Praying that the Christ child brings new hope to your heart this Christmas hope for healing, hope for restoration, and hope that does not disappoint.
10. Merry Christmas to you and your family. May your celebration point to the true Gift, and may the love of Jesus be the sweetest part of your day.
11. In the middle of the lights and the lists, here is the heart of it all: God so loved the world that He gave His Son. Wishing you a Christmas anchored in that love.
12. May the joy of the shepherds, the faith of Mary, and the worship of the wise men all find a place in your Christmas this year. Christ is born Merry Christmas!

Christmas Wishes After a Hard Year

1. I know this year took things from you that no holiday can give back. There is no pressure to feel merry I just want you to know you are loved, you are remembered, and I am here. Merry Christmas, gently.
2. If this Christmas feels quieter and heavier than the ones before, that makes complete sense. May the day meet you softly, and may you find small pockets of rest inside it.
3. Thinking of you and of the empty chair at your table. They are missed, and so is the version of Christmas that had them in it. I am holding you close in my thoughts this season.
4. You do not have to perform joy this year. Skip the party, keep the pyjamas, cry during the carols if you need to. However this Christmas looks for you, it is allowed to look like that.
5. Wishing you a Christmas with no expectations attached just warm food if you want it, quiet if you need it, and people who understand either way. You have carried so much this year.
6. Grief and gratitude can sit at the same table; you are not doing Christmas wrong if both show up. Sending you love for the hard moments and the tender ones alike.
7. I will not pretend this year was a blessing in disguise. It was hard, and you lived it. May this Christmas bring you nothing more complicated than rest, kindness, and the company of people who get it.
8. For the first Christmas without them: may their favourite song still get played, their story still get told, and their love still find its way into the room. Thinking of you with all my heart.
9. If all you manage this Christmas is getting through it, that is enough, and so are you. Wishing you gentle days and the steady presence of people who love you without conditions.
10. Money is tight, energy is low, and the year was long none of that makes your Christmas smaller in my eyes. You are valued far beyond anything a season can measure.
11. Sending this to someone who has been brave in ways nobody saw. May Christmas hand you a few unearned kindnesses and at least one moment that feels like a deep breath.
12. You are allowed to miss how things used to be and still make room for what is here now. Both can be true this Christmas. I am in your corner for all of it.

General and Non-Religious Christmas Wishes

1. Happy Holidays and a very Merry Christmas! Wishing you twinkling lights, good company, and a table full of your favourite things.
2. May your Christmas be cosy, your cocoa be bottomless, and your time off be genuinely off. Happy Holidays!
3. Wishing you a festive season filled with warm gatherings, great food, and the people who make you laugh the hardest.
4. Happy Christmas! Here is hoping your break is long, your naps are legendary, and your new year starts on a high note.
5. Sending you seasonal cheer in bulk: joy for today, rest for the week, and good luck for everything you are planning next year.
6. May your home be warm, your playlist be excellent, and your holidays be exactly as lively or as lazy as you want them. Merry Christmas!
7. Happy Holidays to someone who makes every season brighter just by being around. Enjoy every minute of the festivities.
8. Wishing you a Christmas wrapped in all the good stuff: friendship, feasts, films you have seen a hundred times, and nowhere you need to rush off to.
9. Cheers to you this Christmas! May the year ahead reward all the effort you put into this one. Rest up you have earned it.
10. Hope your holidays deliver the perfect mix of celebration and sofa time. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you and yours.
11. Whatever this season means to you, I hope it brings you warmth, wonder, and at least one unforgettable meal. Happy Christmas!
12. From festive markets to quiet mornings, may you get the very best of the season in whatever shape you love it most. Merry Christmas!

Christmas Eve Wishes

1. Merry Christmas Eve! May tonight be full of candlelight, anticipation, and the happy hush that falls over the house.
2. On this holy night, I am wishing you a heart as full as the stockings by the fire. Sleep well tomorrow will be beautiful.
3. Christmas Eve blessings to you. May the quiet of tonight settle every worry, and may you wake tomorrow to a day of gentle surprises.
4. Tonight the world feels a little more magical. Wishing you a Christmas Eve of warm drinks, soft music, and the people who make it home.
5. As the last gifts are wrapped and the last lights are lit, I am thinking of you and feeling grateful. Merry Christmas Eve, with all my love.
6. May your Christmas Eve be merry and bright and may at least one of the presents under your tree be exactly what you hoped for.
7. Wishing you a peaceful night before Christmas: carols in the background, cookies within reach, and everyone you love nearby.
8. To my family near and far, happy Christmas Eve. Tonight we are one sleep away from the best day of the year. Enjoy every minute.
9. On this night of wonder, may the story of a baby in a manger fill your home with awe all over again. Merry Christmas Eve!
10. The stockings are hung, the tree is glowing, and my heart is full. Sending you Christmas Eve wishes from my home to yours.
11. If you are travelling home tonight, may the roads be kind and the welcome be warm. Merry Christmas Eve, and travel safely.
12. One more sleep! May your Christmas Eve end with gratitude for this year and hope for the next. See you in the morning!

Heartfelt Christmas Quotes to Share

1. Christmas is the season when heaven’s greatest gift taught us that love is measured not by size, but by sacrifice.
2. The magic of Christmas is not in the presents under the tree, but in the presence of the people around it.
3. A candle loses nothing by lighting another; Christmas is simply the season we remember to share our light.
4. Joy does not arrive wrapped and ribboned it arrives the moment we make room for one another.
5. Christmas turns ordinary rooms into holy ground, because love is celebrated there on purpose.
6. The best gifts of the season cannot be bought: a forgiven grudge, a restored friendship, a table with one more chair than expected.
7. Peace on earth begins in small places in kitchens, in living rooms, in hearts willing to go first.
8. Every Christmas light is a small defiance of the darkness, and together they win.
9. Gratitude is the carol the heart sings when it finally slows down enough to notice its blessings.
10. Christmas reminds us that the greatest things God ever did began quietly, in small towns, in humble places.
11. Love came down at Christmas, and it has been lifting people up ever since.
12. The tree will come down and the lights will be packed away, but a kindness done at Christmas tends to stay.

Bible Verses for Christmas

1. Luke 2:11 (KJV) “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.”
2. Luke 2:14 (KJV) “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”
3. Isaiah 9:6 (KJV) “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”
4. Matthew 1:21 (KJV) “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.”
5. John 1:14 (KJV) “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”
6. Micah 5:2 (KJV) “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.”
7. Galatians 4:4 (KJV) “But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,”
8. Isaiah 7:14 (KJV) “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”

Inspired by Scripture 1. On the night heaven came near, the message was not fear but joy and it was addressed to ordinary people first.

Inspired by Scripture 2. Long before the manger, the promise was already written: God would come to His people Himself, and He would come as a gift.

Christmas Card Templates You Can Personalize

1. Dear [Name], Merry Christmas! This year I am especially thankful for [a moment, favour, or quality of theirs]. May your day be filled with [two things they love], and may the new year bring you [a hope you have for them]. With love, [Your Name].
2. Merry Christmas to the [Surname] family! Thank you for [something they did this year]. We are wishing you [health / rest / adventure] in the year ahead and hope we can [get together / visit / celebrate] soon. Warmly, [Your Name].
3. [Name], working with you this year has been [a genuine pleasure / a highlight / a privilege]. Thank you for [a specific contribution]. Wishing you and your family a restful Christmas and a successful [Year]. Best regards, [Your Name].
4. Merry Christmas, [Name]! Even though we are [number] miles apart this year, you are in my thoughts as always. I am counting down to [planned reunion or visit], and until then I am sending you [a gift / this card / all my love]. Miss you, [Your Name].
5. Dear [Name], I know this year has been [difficult / a season of loss / full of change] for you. There is no need to reply to this card I simply wanted you to know you are loved and remembered this Christmas. When you are ready, [an invitation, e.g., “our door is open for tea in January”]. With sympathy and love, [Your Name].

Filled example: Dear Aunt Rosa, Merry Christmas! This year I am especially thankful for the Sunday calls that kept me grounded through a busy autumn. May your day be filled with music and that lemon cake you love, and may the new year bring you the garden you have been planning. With love, Daniel.

A Christmas Blessing to Close

May the peace of this Christmas settle gently over your home and everyone in it. May your table be a place of welcome, your memories a source of warmth, and your heart light enough to carry this season’s joy into every month of the year ahead. If you are looking for the right words for quieter days after the celebration, our collection of Thanksgiving Wishes and Blessings is a lovely place to keep the gratitude going and for the Sunday that follows the holiday, you will find more warmth in our Have a Blessed Afternoon. From all of us at Sweet Wishing, Merry Christmas may you be blessed in the giving, the gathering, and the going into a brand-new year.

Frequently Asked Questions

What should I write in a Christmas card?

Start with a warm greeting, add one specific line about the person a thank-you, a shared memory, or something you admire and close with a hope for their new year. Three honest sentences will always beat a page of generic phrases, because the specific line is the part they will remember.

What is the difference between a Christmas wish and a Christmas blessing?

A wish expresses your hope for someone (“I hope your day is joyful”), while a blessing speaks good over them or asks God to grant it (“May God bless your home with peace”). Wishes suit any recipient; blessings fit best when you know the person welcomes faith language.

What Christmas wishes are appropriate for coworkers and clients?

Keep them warm, brief, and free of religious assumptions: thank them for the year, wish them rest and time with family, and look ahead to the new year. “Season’s greetings” and “Happy holidays” are safe, professional choices that still feel genuinely kind.

What are some short Christmas messages I can send by text?

Short texts work best with one image and one wish: “Merry Christmas peace, joy, and a home full of love,” or “Thinking of you today; have the cosiest Christmas.” If you know them well, add a single personal detail, like their favourite tradition, to make a two-line text feel handmade.

Should I send a religious or a general Christmas message?

Match the message to the recipient, not to your own habit. Faith-filled wording is a gift to someone who shares your faith, while general seasonal warmth is the respectful choice for mixed company, workplaces, and anyone whose beliefs you do not know.

What can I say to someone who is grieving at Christmas?

Acknowledge the loss plainly and release them from every expectation: “I am thinking of you and of [their loved one] this Christmas. No need to reply just know you are loved.” Naming the person they lost is almost always a comfort, never a mistake.

When is the best time to send Christmas wishes and cards?

Cards are traditionally mailed in early to mid December so they arrive before the day, while texts and messages land best on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning. A message sent a few days after Christmas still counts pair it with a New Year wish and nobody will mind the timing.

How do I thank someone for a gift inside a Christmas message?

Thank them for the specific gift and say what you love about it or how you will use it: “Thank you for the beautiful scarf I have worn it every day this week.” A thank-you sent within the first week of the new year is prompt, and a short one is always better than a perfect one sent in March.