New Year in the UK: The Date, the Traditions and What to Send
New Year explained: the date, the traditions and what to send
New Year's Eve falls on 31 December and New Year's Day on 1 January, which is a bank holiday across the UK. In Scotland 2 January is a bank holiday too, because Hogmanay has historically been the bigger event north of the border.
It is one of the few occasions where the card is optional but genuinely welcome — a lot of people send one instead of a Christmas card, or as a late catch-up with anyone they missed in December.
Here is what the day actually marks, the traditions that go with it, and the simplest ways to send something that isn't a group text at midnight.
New Year and late Christmas cards
Designed in house, printed in the UK and posted with a kraft envelope.
Only The Best Dads Get Promoted To Grandad (Friends Themed Cards)
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Only The Best Mums Get Promoted To Nanny (Friends Themed Cards)
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Only The Best Friends Get Promoted To Aunty (Friends Themed Cards)
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'tis the season to drink Guinness Christmas Card
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Let's drink (Guinness) and be Merry Christmas Card With Tree
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Let's drink (Guinness) and be merry Christmas Card
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The dates
- New Year's Eve: 31 December.
- New Year's Day: 1 January, a bank holiday across the UK.
- 2 January is an additional bank holiday in Scotland.
- Post New Year cards between Boxing Day and 30 December so they land in time.
UK traditions worth knowing
- Hogmanay is the Scottish name for New Year's Eve and the celebrations around it.
- First footing: the first person through the door after midnight, traditionally bringing coal, shortbread or whisky.
- Auld Lang Syne, sung at midnight, comes from a Robert Burns poem.
- Fireworks and bells at midnight, with the London and Edinburgh displays televised.
- Resolutions, made in good faith on 1 January and quietly abandoned by February.
What to write in a New Year card
- Here's to a year with fewer surprises and better weather.
- Happy New Year. Same nonsense, new calendar.
- Wishing you a brilliant year ahead — let's actually meet up in it this time.
- Thanks for getting me through last year. Here's to the next one.
- Happy New Year. May your resolutions last until at least the second week.
Shop Christmas and New Year cards
Cards for friends
For the people who got you through the year.
You Old Bastard (Funny Birthday Card)
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That's What I Call Old (Funny Dad Happy Birthday Card)
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Funny 30th Birthday Card (Frying Pan)
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See You Later, Alligator (Funny Good Luck Card)
£3.75
Only The Best Dads Get Promoted To Grandad (Friends Themed Cards)
£3.87
Only The Best Mums Get Promoted To Nanny (Friends Themed Cards)
£3.87
Only The Best Friends Get Promoted To Aunty (Friends Themed Cards)
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Every Birthday With Me Is A Gift (Funny Husband Happy Birthday Card)
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How to write it so it lands
- Send it between Boxing Day and 30 December if you want it to arrive before midnight.
- Mention one good thing from the year just gone; it beats a generic wish.
- For work contacts, keep it to a thank you and a line about the year ahead.
Where to shop next
- New Year card messages
- Buy New Year cards
- Christmas cards
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- How to make a balloon arch
- Photo booth prop ideas
- All guides
Frequently asked questions
When is New Year's Day?
1 January, and it is a bank holiday across the whole of the UK.
What is Hogmanay?
The Scottish word for New Year's Eve and the celebrations around it, traditionally a bigger event in Scotland than Christmas.
Do people send New Year cards in the UK?
Some do, often instead of a Christmas card or as a late reply to one. They are also common for business contacts and clients.