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New Year's

New Year’s Prayers and Blessings

With the passing of every Christmas comes the turn of the New Year, are you ready for that number to go up once more? Some feel like nothing is really different, but a new year is a door to many new opportunities.

Kick It Off With Prayer

Saying a New Year prayer, whether it’s to yourself, with your family, or with a whole party of people is a nice way to kick off the new year. Prayer can set the mood for positive changes and encourage good behavior, which is always the way to start the new year!

Why wouldn’t you want to start a new year without saying a prayer first?

Tips for New Year Prayers:

Ask God to help you better…: Chances are, you have set a few goals or resolutions. Resolutions are often (conveniently) forgotten about after the first couple of weeks of January. Don’t let yourself be that person. Commit to change, ask for God’s help, and stick with it. He’ll help if you let Him.

Pray for strength: What is it going to take to get you to stick with your guns? Strength and willpower. Who can help you find that within yourself? God. So just ask.

Tell Him your goals: If it’s just you or a whole room of people, make your goals clear aloud. Declare it. The more you put it out there, the more “real” it will feel, thus making it easier for you to accomplish what you are aiming for.

Pray temptation away: If your goal is a healthy diet, He won’t be able to hide the chocolate cake at the supermarket, but he might just be able to help you overlook it instead!

Pray for others: If this prayer is being said aloud at a party or family gathering, pray for the rest that are with you, in giving them strength to accomplish their New Year goals as well.

Safe Travels: Again, if this is at a group gathering, don’t forget to pray for their safe travels home! We all know how many intoxicated people there are on the road around this time (pray for those people as well)!

Sample Prayer

If you would like a sample New Year prayer, here’s one that takes into account most of the tips above:

Heavenly Father,

I’d like to thank you for this opportunity to start fresh in the oncoming new year. It is because of you that I navigated safely through this one and that I am at where I am today. And we, as a family, Lord, know that we are so blessed. We pray for strength to get through the hardest parts of the new year, and the many adjustments that we will be making. We pray that should temptation stumble upon our path, that we can simply look away, remembering and desiring every goal that we set. As we get closer to this new year, we ask that you keep everyone here out of harm’s way, and keep us safe in our travels back home. We know that nothing that we do compares to your glorious work, but we strive to be like you in everything we do. Let us start this new year off the right way, and that is by talking to you, God.

In your name we pray, Amen!

All you need to do in a new year prayer, like any other prayer, is just speak the truth and pray with all your heart!

35 Family New Year’s Resolution Ideas

Often times, when New Year’s Eve is approaching, we are scrambling around trying to figure out what kind of personal goals we should set for ourselves. What’s more fun is setting a family New Year’s resolution!

Ideas are abundant which means they are easy to come up with. Here are some family New Year’s resolution ideas that you won’t want to miss!

Family New Year’s Resolution Ideas

  1. We will take a family vacation once a year.
  2. We will have a weekly family game night.
  3. We will do family movie night the second Saturday of every month.
  4. We will go to church on every Sunday.
  5. We will get out each weekend of nice weather.
  6. We will eat dinner together as a family each night at the dining room table with no TV or phones at the table.
  7. We will do a ten-minute bible study together each day.
  8. We will have less junk food in the house.
  9. We will start buying and consuming more organic foods.
  10. We will take walks together every day after dinner.
  11. We will keep our phones out of earshot and sight when spending time together.
  12. Computer time will be limited to a half hour each day, with the exception of homework.
  13. We will stop using swear words and street slang.
  14. We will openly talk about our days and stresses, and find ways to help each other cope with daily problems.
  15. We will plan a family reunion.
  16. We will call our parents/grandparents once a week to catch them up on everything in our family.
  17. We will try to fix things that break rather than jump on replacing them.
  18. We will do housework together.
  19. We will keep clean the rooms we are responsible for.
  20. We will communicate more openly and clearly.
  21. We will start a family garden and each take place in maintaining it.
  22. We will start a family side business for fun.
  23. We will set a schedule for showers so we aren’t dueling over the hot water.
  24. We will argue less and be more respectful in our debates.
  25. We will call each other instead of using text messages.
  26. We will wash hands thoroughly before eating and after using the restroom.
  27. We will make an effort to use good manners, especially at the dinner table.
  28. We will spend more time with extended family.
  29. We will make a family effort to save money.
  30. We will recycle anything that can be recycled!
  31. We will start cleaning our house without harmful chemicals.
  32. We will volunteer our time together as a family one weekend each month to help the community.
  33. We will try to fix clothes before throwing them away.
  34. We will find uses for jars and containers instead of tossing them in the trash.
  35. We will stop wearing our shoes in the house.

Setting goals together as a family will make it easier to uphold the goals past the wintery months that we often give them up in. Work together as a family to better yourselves! The possibilities are endless when you work as a team!

35 New Year’s Resolution Ideas for Kids

Goal setting is an important part of any child’s development as it teaches them how to be responsible. They learn to make commitments and how to follow through with such commitments. Setting a New Year’s resolution is a prime example of setting an important goal, and it’s best to start this habit from a young age.

New Year’s Resolution Ideas

Sit down with your child and come up with a few New Year’s resolution ideas that are both realistic for them and appropriate for their age and stage of development. if you need a few New Year’s resolution ideas for kids, here’s some that are very appropriate for many ages:

  1. I will keep my room clean.
  2. I will keep good grades in school.
  3. I will eat less snacks.
  4. I will have a fruit or veggie with every meal.
  5. I will try new foods.
  6. I will go to bed at a decent hour.
  7. I will exercise for at least a half hour each day.
  8. I will drink less soda and juice and drink more water
  9. I will eat my veggies even if I don’t like them, because I know they’re good for me!
  10. I will be sure to do my homework before anything else after school.
  11. I will take better notes in class.
  12. I will pay better attention to the teacher and less attention to my friends during class time.
  13. I will study my notes after school.
  14. I will help my mom cook dinner at least three times a week.
  15. I will do all of my chores without giving mom trouble.
  16. I will be nicer to my sister and brother.
  17. If I feel like I’m getting mad, I will walk away and calm down.
  18. I will teach my sister how to play soccer.
  19. I will watch less TV.
  20. I will get out and play every sunny day.
  21. I will put things away when I’m done using them.
  22. I will brush my teeth each morning and night.
  23. I will get into good hand washing habits.
  24. I will find a hobby to do on rainy days so I’m not telling mom “I’m bored!”
  25. I’ll be nice to every kid, even the ones that are bullied by others; I’ll be their friend.
  26. I will memorize my address and phone number, and never give these out to strangers!
  27. I will run for school president!
  28. I will find a way to be actively involved in my community, even if it’s simply picking up garbage at the local park on weekends.
  29. I will talk openly about my feelings.
  30. I will resist peer pressure and be a positive influence on my friends.
  31. I won’t talk back to my parents.
  32. I will not tease my little brother.
  33. I will be more organized in everything I do.
  34. If I need help, I will ask for it.
  35. I will read a new book each (day, week, month, whichever is age appropriate).

Try letting your child come up with their own New Year’s resolution ideas, guiding them to be most realistic as you see fit. They will be on their way to better habits in no time!

New Year Messages and Wishes

Wishing someone a Happy New Year is as easy as just saying it to them, but sending or giving a card is nice! Everyone loves a good greeting card, and it gives them something that they can read from loved ones over and over to keep putting that smile on their face!

What’s better than buying greeting cards is making them yourself. Although it may be easy to come up with a design for the card, the greeting part may be a different story.

Here are some New Year messages that will tickle the hearts and funny bones of anyone who reads them!

Sentimental New Year Messages

  • As this year comes to an end, I wish you all the best in the new year, my dearest friend. Happy New Year!
  • May the new year bring you luck, hope, and dreams of all good things to come! Happy New Year to you!
  • Wishing you all the success in the world for this coming new year. Have a Happy New Year, make every second count!
  • Wishing you and yours a happy new year with many more to come!
  • May you find warmth despite the snow, love in your heart, and, well, you know! Happy New Year!
  • As the sun rises on this beautiful New Year’s Day, remember all the reasons you’ve made it this far, and uphold those resolutions to make things better! Happy New Year! I hope it’s the best one yet!

Funny New Year Messages

  • Wishing you lots of beer and cheer throughout the new year! Happy New Year!
  • New Year’s resolutions should be called “first week of January resolutions” because we all know what happens. Happy New Year!
  • Happy New Year! Be sure to set those New Year’s resolutions only to completely forget about them after the countdown!
  • Wishing you a skinny waistline and a fat wallet this coming new year. Also wishing that the New Year God doesn’t mix that up! Happy New Year!
  • Oh THAT’S why they were talking about balls dropping! I thought we were going back to 6th grade science! Happy New Year!
  • Out with the old, in with the new! If only it were this easy when it comes to things that my wife would probably smack me over. Happy New Year!

Religious New Year Messages

  • Wishing you a new year full of worship, love, and all good things from above. Have a very blessed New Year!
  • Praying that your year is full of everything your heart desires. Happy New Year!
  • Wishing the the happiest of new years! May you praise the Lord for all things merry, and fall back on him if times get scary. He is always with you, always remember this and you will have a very blessed new year!
  • Hallelujah! The new year has arrived! May you find total comfort in your faith throughout the new year. Happy New Year, be blessed!
  • The gift of a new year is one of God’s many blessings. Count your blessings as you countdown to the new year, and thank God for each one!
  • Let us pray for a prosperous new year full of opportunity and strength! Happy New Year!
  • This new year, don’t look back, but look up always! Have a blessed new year!
  • Hard times can bring you down, but God can lift you up! May you be blessed throughout the new year!
  • New Year is a way for God to let you know that he has faith in YOU to better yourself. Happy New Year!

Send a greeting card, it only takes a few minutes. The abundance of smiles and happiness received from a card make every minute count!