A Word for the New Year

I love the idea of having a word for the new year, but historically, that hasn’t been common for me. In total honesty, I can only think of two times I started the year with a quote or phrase that felt “designated” for the days ahead, the last of which was in 2019.

Usually, I do more defining of a year as it ends than as it begins. 

But in a fun surprise, I do have a word for 2026!

As was the case with the quotes for 2018 and 2019, it wasn’t a reveal that came with flashing lights and fanfare: It was a subtle, quiet reveal. A word popping up unexpectedly over and over, drifting around in my brain until it finally clicked.

And the word is...

magical

 

I’m setting no huge expectations based on this, but I am excited about how that word may play out through the year ahead. I’ve been setting up a bullet journal for 2026, filling in pages for goals and a bingo board of things I hope to do, and am approaching the year with a careful sort of hope. 

 

Do you have a word or phrase for the year?