my husband an I are planning a trip to Barcelona for 7-8 days first week in january is it too long to stay in one place should be split to two cities (suggestions where?) and we have never been so any info into highlights and must sees is greatly appreciated

I stayed in Barcelona for 10 days and never felt bored. So my opinion is no. Travel days means no sight seeing days.
Public holidays are the 1st and 6th of January.

7 to 8 days shouldn't be a problem the first week or so of January. You'll be there for Three Kings Day, the biggest celebration of the Christmas season. If you want, you can head up to Begur for a couple of days if the weather is nice, which it normally is, and enjoy the sunrise from a room at the Parador. The last time we where there after New Years, it was 60F under clear blue skies.

Number of day trips from Barcelona are a possibility:
Girona, Tarragona, Figures, Montserrat, ....


On our first visit to Barcelona we had a week
There was so much to see, we never left the city.

I went to Barcelona for 8 days and spent most of one of those days going to Montserrat. I loved the time in Barcelona and loved getting to see lots of sights without rushing.

7 - 8 days is not too long to visit Barcelona - you could spend weeks and not run out of things to do. My husband and I spent six weeks there this summer. As others have said, there are some easy day trips by train. We liked Girona and the Cava region. Here's our trip report with sightseeing ideas... http://latitudeb.com/summer-of-spain...-in-barcelona/.

P.S. There is a lot of tourist crime in Barcelona - so be alert for pickpockets.