What do I mean by Happy New Year?

What do I mean by Happy New Year?

Happy New Year! We express this formula each year by email, text, and the spoken word. Our wish expressed a desire for a year that is peaceful, happy, healthy—what we’d call a “good” year. We look back on certain periods and say, “That was a good year.” I’m guessing no one will say that about 2020. When you hear the phrase this year, it’s often joined by, “It has to be better than this year!” We began 2020 with optimism for the new year ahead of us, armed with the well-wishes...