New Year’s Eve customs have not always had it easy in recent years. First it was the lead pouring at the collar and now the rockets. However, some, less controversial, traditions remain and that – just one guess – will not change anytime soon. In addition to the classic sketch “Dinner for One”, this is the New Year’s wish, whether verbally, via WhatsApp or in a classic postcard.
Strictly speaking, this is not a pure New Year’s Eve. You also wish – or above all – a Happy New Year for the days after. To friends, acquaintances and work colleagues. Whenever you meet for the first time in the new year. Until at some point you are faced with the question: Can I actually say that now? After all, the new year is already two weeks old.
It is of course never forbidden. Even so, many find that the New Year wish has something like an expiration date. According to Alexandra Sievers, editor-in-chief of “The Great Knigge”, it is more common to congratulate yourself in the first week of the new year. Oliver Zschörner, a certified business etiquette coach from Holzminden, mentions in an interview with the New Westphalian the first three weeks as a guide. And the Freiburg communication trainer Elisabeth Bonneau thinks it’s appropriate until mid-January. The latter, however, is of the general opinion: “Better one time too much than one time too little.”
And that’s probably the best piece of advice. Because the boundaries between the years are gradually dissolving anyway. The Christmas vacation is more and more often postponed to January, as are some Christmas parties. And New Year’s receptions are held until March. In addition, one should always consider the following: First and foremost, it is not the time, but the gesture that counts!