When choosing a birthday card, it can be pretty easy to pick a beautiful card design that matches the personality of the person who’s celebrating – but when it comes to writing the message inside, it’s not quite as straightforward!
It’s always better to write your own custom birthday card message rather than choosing a card with a pre-written greeting. It’s just so much more personal, and bound to be appreciated by the birthday person, as it shows that you’ve put a lot of thought into it.
Whilst some of us may have no problem with coming up with a custom birthday greeting, there are others that may have trouble with figuring out what else to add after ‘Happy Birthday.’ Whether you find it easy, difficult or somewhere in between, here are some ideas to help you write a warm, meaningful card.
Birthday Card Greetings for Friends
When buying a birthday card for a friend, we tend to look for one that really showcases our friendship. It may be an inside joke, or something inspirational, but if everything you want to say is on the front of the card, then what else can you add to the inside?
The first thing to decide is what kind of message you want to put in the card. Would you rather try to make the recipient laugh, or go for something more heartfelt?
If you can’t decide, put yourself in their shoes and think of what you could write to make them feel truly special. Use a tone that is appropriate for your friendship – if you have special nicknames for each other, why not use them in the greeting and sign off? With your closest friends, you can drop the formality, and instead write something more personal that sounds like you!
For example:
1) Happy birthday to my favourite person, I hope your day is as wonderful as you are.
2) Looking forward to celebrating you on your special day.
3) Can’t wait to make some more special memories with you.
4) Some birthday advice: 1) Forget the past, you can’t change it. 2) Forget the present, I didn’t get you one.
5) Happy birthday to one of the few people whose birthday I can remember without a Facebook reminder.
6) Count your blessings, not your wrinkles.
7) Wishing you a wonderful birthday and a fantastic year ahead! Thanks for being such a great friend.
8) Happy birthday from me]. I hope you have an awesome day – be sure to eat an extra slice of cake for me!
9) It’s your birthday, let’s party! Cake – check. Candles – check. Drinks – check. Gift – check. Coolest birthday guy/girl ever – check!
10) Life should not only be lived, it should be celebrated. Happy Birthday to my best friend!
Birthday Card Message Ideas for Family
When it comes down to family, whether they’re a parent, sibling or grandparent, birthday wishes can go a long way in letting someone know just how much they mean to you. What better way to show them than by writing a heartfelt message that illustrates how thankful and appreciative you are that they are in your life.
Whether you want to write something funny, light-hearted or even a sincere and from the heart message, here are a few suggestions to get the imagination flowing.
Birthday Greetings for Mum and Dad
1) Mum, I hope you know how special you are to me. I am so blessed to have you as a mother.
2) Happy Birthday! Wishing an amazing Mum a day that’s blooming with love & happiness. Someone as special as you deserves nothing less.
3) Here is to another year of you putting up with me! Happy birthday, Mum.
4) Happy birthday, Mum! May we continue to drive each other crazy for years to come!
5) Dad, you are my role model, hero, and best friend. I love you so much!
6) Every birthday you have means another year you made our lives special! Thank you, Dad.
7) They say that age comes with wisdom. So a big happy birthday to the wisest man I know!
8) Wear your gray hairs proudly. They are memories of how terrible I was as a child. Thanks for putting up with me all these years.
Birthday Messages for Your Children
1) Watching you grow up has been such a treat. I am so proud of you.
2) Our beloved daughter/son, thank you for bringing a smile to our face every day. We hope that your birthday will bring a smile to yours as well! Happy Birthday!
3) Even though you can drive me crazy… I wouldn’t change a thing about you! Happy birthday, I love you.
4) Congratulations, you’re an adult at last. (So pack your bags, we’ve rented out your room.)
Birthday Greetings for Siblings
1) I may have not liked sharing my things with you, but I’m glad we shared our childhood. Happy birthday!
2) Thank you for being my biggest supporter in every phase of life. Wishing you a beautiful year ahead, brother/sister. Happy birthday!
3) As I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to appreciate how great it was to have a brother/sister growing up. After all, without you, I wouldn’t have had anyone to blame for all the bad stuff I did.
4) Happy Birthday to Mum’s second favourite child.
Birthday Card Messages for Grandparents
1) May ageing continue to be good for you. Happy Birthday Grandpa/Gran
2) To someone who is always there for others: Happy Birthday Grandpa/Gran
3) Happy Birthday, Grandpa/Gran! Since you braved the dinosaurs, another year should be easy!
4) Grandpa/Gran, It’s your birthday, again? I think we should hold off on putting candles on your cake this year… just to be safe! Happy Birthday!
Birthday Card Greetings for Colleagues and Coworkers
When you spend more time at work with your coworkers than you do at home with your family, chances are that at some point you will end up celebrating a colleague’s birthday at work. Whether you are close to your coworkers or not, taking the time to remember their birthday makes any work day feel like a great day, and so we should show our appreciation and thankfulness to them any chance we can get!
When it comes to writing a message in the card, consider the type of relationship you have with that person. If you feel particularly close, you can write something a little bit humorous, and less formal, but if you are just acquaintances, then stick to something short and sweet.
1) Happy Birthday to the world’s best colleague. You’ll be an even better colleague if you remember that my birthday is on [Insert your Birthday here]
2) Happy birthday, blah blah blah – now get back to work!
3) Happy Birthday to a great coworker and an even better friend.
4) Thanks for making every day at work fun. Happy Birthday!
5) It’s great working with you. Enjoy your special day.
6) Happy Birthday to a person who makes this a great place to work.
7) You are the reason why I never get tired of working.
8) Wishing you a Happy Birthday. I hope it’s a year full of happiness and success.
9) Happy Birthday to my partner in crime.
10) Happy Birthday. Never leave!
Birthday Card Messages for Kids
When it comes down to it, there is nothing more special and exciting for a kid than their birthday… other than Christmas maybe! There is just something about the look on their face when they open up their card to find a birthday message that is written just for them, making it worth the extra effort and thought to write something personal and unique.
As we all know, kids come in all sizes and ages, so it’s important to tailor your message to their age so that it is suitable. For example, for children only just learning to read, it’s a good idea to keep the message short and sweet (just like them!) For older children, however, you can start to put some extra thought into what you are writing.
Here are some examples of messages for children of all ages.
1) Happy Birthday! I can’t believe how big you are getting.
2) Lots of hugs for my favourite birthday boy/girl/kid
3) Happy birthday to the cutest [insert age here] year old I know!
4) To the special birthday boy/girl/kid, you deserve a fun day.
5) Happy birthday to the coolest kid I know! Here’s to many more years of fun getting to know you.
6) There’s nothing more special than the day you were born; that’s the day the whole world became brighter!
7) Birthdays are the perfect time for people to gather together and tell how much they love you, one of those people would be me!
8) Wishing the most adorable child I know a very happy birthday. May you always have a wide smile on your face.
Where Can I Order Personalised Birthday Cards?
And there you have it. Whether you choose one of these messages or merely use them as inspiration to write your own, you are bound to give someone a day to remember. Finish off with a warm and sincere closing before signing your name, and you have a birthday card that anyone would be happy to receive.
At 123Print, we stock a huge range of birthday card templates – so whether you’re shopping for a relative, a friend or a colleague, you’re bound to find the perfect design to match their personality and interests.
Every one of our cards can be fully personalised with our easy editor, so you can choose one of our pre-set greetings or add your own wording completely from scratch. And with our create your own birthday card template, you can even upload your own photograph or artwork to the front of the design!
Order from 123Print today to take full advantage of our 100% satisfaction guarantee, and join our thousands of happy customers!