A short note to add to your New Year’s card! A collection of message ideas that will make everyone smile

10 years as a kindergarten teacher / elementary school teacher / junior and senior high school teacher / childminderkepiko
Graduated from Kunitachi College of Music, Faculty of Music (now: Department of Music Culture and Education, Early Childhood Music Education major). In elementary school, my homeroom teacher was Jun Kusaba, a game researcher. After graduating from university, I worked as a kindergarten teacher for 10 years and as an after-school childcare instructor for 7 years, then took a position as a music teacher at an international school in Singapore. In addition to music education, I engaged in activities that introduced Japanese culture, traditional games, and recreational activities, working with many children. Later, through freelance writing, planning, and editing at Shogakukan, I met many delightful adults and experienced the joy of communicating and sharing. Drawing on the perspective cultivated in the field of education and my experience as an editor, I provide practical information with an emphasis on both input and output, mainly in areas related to music and children. My hobbies include instruments, singing, handicrafts, toys, drawing, traditional games, the outdoors, and books. My special skill is spinning-top tricks.

When writing New Year’s cards, many of us have struggled with what short message to add.

Set phrases can feel a bit bland, yet it’s hard to decide what else to write.

So here, we’ve gathered ideas for brief, heartwarming messages inspired by smiles—ones that will make the recipient grin without thinking.

From casual lines for close friends to one-liners for those you’re indebted to, we offer a variety of suggestions.

With a few small touches, your New Year’s card can truly reflect who you are!

A short note to add to New Year’s cards! A collection of smile-bringing message ideas (71–80)

May last year’s memories become this year’s strength.

When you hear the words “memories of last year,” what comes to mind? Failure, regret, joy—everyone has different memories.

This short message is a wish for you to draw strength from those memories and do your best this year.

Even if your memories are of failures or regrets, experience is a treasure—if you think of it as something necessary for success, won’t you feel empowered? Add this line to your New Year’s card and try to convey the feeling of wishing someone the best in a positive, encouraging way.

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sasashina

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May every moment of each day become a wonderful memory in the future.

Looking back, even the smallest moments can become memories, can’t they? It’s fun to reminisce with someone you spent those times with—saying, “Remember how it was back then?” Of course, there are also times when we quietly savor memories on our own.

This is a message filled with the wish that, with the new year, each day will become even more fulfilling.

If this sentence were added to a New Year’s card, it would leave you feeling refreshed.

These are words that can inspire the feeling, “Starting today, I’ll face each day with a renewed spirit.”

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Nakajima Junko

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Wishing you a year full of smiles and energy.

It’s a positive phrase that evokes a bright and joyful year.

Being able to spend your days with a smile and plenty of energy is a happiness anyone can appreciate, so it’s suitable for everyone.

The scene this phrase brings to mind will differ from person to person, but it will always include a version of yourself who feels fulfilled and content.

Add this line to your New Year’s greeting with the hope that their year will be like that.

If you’re sending it to someone with a family, you might add “with your family” at the beginning.

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Wishing you a year full of smiles.

It’s a short phrase themed around smiles, which can be called a symbol of happiness.

A smile never fading—in other words, happiness never fading.

Life has its ups and downs, and it’s not easy to find yourself in an environment where you can truly smile.

That’s precisely why, like the New Year, we want to send this phrase with our wishes.

Let’s deliver this message so that people first become mindful of smiling, and in doing so, draw happiness to themselves.

And don’t forget to share your own smile, too!

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May it be a year where you can find joy on rainy days and sunny days alike.

As we welcome the New Year, many of us hope to spend each day in comfort.

It would be wonderful to stay in a joyful mood no matter what happens.

When we’re busy, we might go through life without noticing small moments of happiness or the kindness of others.

Even the days that slip by without much thought can become enjoyable if we approach them with a bit more care.

It’s a message that feels like magic, wishing that each day in the new year will shine brightly.

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Nakajima Junko

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May this year bring many heartwarming moments.

When you hear the words “heartwarming moments,” what kind of times come to mind? Time spent with family, chats with friends, moments when a movie or a novel moves your heart… I’m sure each of you has your own wonderful moments.

This message is a short wish that many such warm, comforting times will come your way in the New Year.

It’s something you’d write while hoping for that person’s happiness and gentle days.

Adding “for you” at the beginning can make it feel even more personal and friendly.

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In conclusion

By writing a short note for your New Year’s card while picturing the recipient’s smile, you can deliver a warmer message.

Precisely because the words are brief, they let you express your everyday gratitude and hopes for the year ahead with sincerity.

Through a New Year’s card that truly reaches the recipient’s heart, brighten the start of the new year.