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You have a friend or family member who will be having a very important birthday in the near (or far!) future and you want to put something together for them, but you’re not sure where to start.

Answering these questions might help:

1. How long into the future is the birthday?
   • If less than 5 years into the future, write about the recipient. You know the recipient and can comment on accomplishments to date and your future hopes for them.
   • If 5 or more years into the future, heartfelt advice from you or family stories might be more appropriate. Especially if the recipient is young at the time of writing, sharing a story they may never have heard before is a fun way to ensure that your favorite family story gains a new listener.

2. What type of message do you want to send?
   • A letter: Works well to convey your own advice or share your favorite quotations.
   • Photos: To juxtapose before / after or highlight the difference over time.
   • Video: For a more complete retrospective look, a video of photos over time or clips of different videos is impactful.
   • Mix it up! Photos with a letter explaining why you like those photos or what you remember about the day the photo was taken is a great way to convey a story.

3. What’s the tone of your message - serious or funny or both?
   • For a serious message, recognizing how hard the recipient worked towards a goal, what obstacles the recipient overcame and how proud you are is an excellent way to remind the recipient of their achievements and your support along the way.
   • For a funny message, share the story that always brings a smile to your face when you think of it. Examples might be funny conversations or the cute way the recipient pronounced a specific word when they were small or a favorite outfit they always insisted on wearing. One note - remember to share a story the recipient will think is funny, too!

Share your own ideas! What do you think makes for a great future message? Send us your comments and we’ll share them in future blog posts.

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