How Long Can You Say Happy New Year To People Before You Sound Like A Psycho?

We're just under a week into 2026, and it still has that new year smell (or funk, depending on how it has been going for you).

But my buddy, great OutKick reporter Dan Zaksheske, brought something to my attention that I can't stop thinking about: when is it time to stop wishing people "Happy New Year?"

Now, first of all, I'm just as concerned as you are that I've become OutKick's social etiquette arbiter.

READ: THE BIGGEST NEW YEAR'S CELEBRATION EVER LOOKS LIKE MY OWN PERSONAL HELL

However, it was a great question, and one I had never considered before.

To me, there's a lot of nuance.

My first inclination was one week after we all cracked open our new The Far Side desk calendars. However, after giving it more thought, I realized it might be a bit too long, and I think it all depends on how well you know the person.

For strangers, I think you've got three days to wish people a Happy New Year before it starts getting weird. For casual acquaintances that you see semi-frequently, you get five days. Then, for genuine friends and family, I'll give a week.

I think once you go beyond the first week of January, you start sounding like a lunatic. Like, imagine if in the second week of November, someone came up to you and was like, "Happy Halloween!"

You'd want that person committed. I know I would.

Don't be this guy. (Getty Images)

Then I thought about this more (I didn't have much going on at the time, clearly) and I realized that not only is there a post-New Year's grace period, but there also has to be a pre-New Year's grace period.

I think for all parties, you can start wishing a happy New Year two weeks ahead of time. That's plenty of runway to get a good jump start.

I was pretty happy with this until I realized something that horrified me: I broke these guidelines.

READ: HERE’S WHY NEW YEAR’S EVE IS THE MOST OVERRATED HOLIDAY IN HUMAN HISTORY

Back in early December, my wife and I went out for a bite to eat. It was great, and as we were leaving, I said to the server, "Happy New Year."

…What?!

I don't know what came over me. A mini-stroke, a sudden onset psychosis. But I'm lucky they didn't strap a straitjacket on me and wheel me out of the restaurant like Hannibal Lecter.

Happy New Year?! We were still weeks away from Christmas and all eight days of Hanukkah!

Why not just throw in, "Hey, I hope you have a kick ass MLK Day, too," while I was at it?

So, I apologize to that waitress who probably has lain awake at night thinking, "Why did that very handsome fella wish me a Happy New Year so early?"

These guidelines are more than fair, so I hope you got all your Happy New Year's messages to everyone because it's now time to pull on the reins.