A message that lands exactly on their birthday
Write it now. They'll open it on the day: in a month, a year, or ten. No risk of forgetting. Capsül handles that.
The best birthday message gets written long before the day. Capsül can hold it for up to ten years (fifty with extensions) and delivers it by email on the date you pick. Below: four complete messages you can borrow.
Turning 18
Write to them when they're 12. They'll read your words the day they turn 18.
Turning 30
A message from 20-year-old you to 30-year-old you. Did you keep your promises?
Turning 50
Half a century deserves more than a card. Prepare it years ahead.
As a family
Everyone writes a note. You open them all together on the day.
Why write so far in advance?
Because time does the work for you. A birthday card gets read in ten seconds and ends up in a drawer. It says "happy birthday" to someone who already knows. A message written three years earlier says something else: this is who you were to me, before I knew what came next.
That gap is the whole point.
You're writing to someone who will have changed. They might have moved, left their job, met someone. Skip predictions along the lines of "I hope you're finally married". Describe the present, daft details and all: that's the part that ages well.
How far ahead should you aim?
Far enough for something to have shifted, close enough for them to recognise themselves. A year for a friend, five for a child who's growing fast.
Without buying anything, Capsül accepts a date up to 180 days away. By default, the recipient finds out as soon as you send it that a message is waiting, without being able to read it. Untick the notification if you'd rather they only found out the day before it opens.
For a child's 18th, we've put together thirty message ideas and a method for the full letter.
So what do you actually write?
One detail only the two of you know beats three paragraphs of good wishes.
Ellie, I'm writing this from the sofa in the Cowley Road flat, the one that creaks on the left. You're 28, you've just failed your driving test for the second time and you made me swear not to tell anyone. I haven't told anyone. Writing it down is different. I don't know if you passed in the end. Or if you still eat cheese on toast at one in the morning and call it "technically dinner". You're the one I ring when things go wrong. You always pick up, even that time at the dentist. Happy birthday. Ring me back. Hannah
Tom, a year ago you swore you'd run the Great North Run before you turned 40. Well? If yes, well done. If not, stop promising.
Arjun, You're 13 and you've just slammed your bedroom door because I took your phone off you after ten. I stand by it. At 18, you can keep it all night. It's in writing, so it's official. Do you still make that penguin noise when you laugh too hard? Don't lose it. Dad
Maisie, love, Today you're 6, and you've just spent twenty minutes explaining to me why dolphins are cleverer than Uncle Steve. You made some good points. I might not make it to your party, the train wears me out these days. So I'm tucking a kiss into this message. This one will arrive on time. Granny Pat
Common questions
How do you schedule a message for a birthday?
You write your message on Capsül, then add the recipient's email address and the date of their birthday. The day before, they get an email saying it opens tomorrow. On the day, a second email brings the link. Once sealed, a capsül can't be edited, so read it through before you send it.
How many years in advance can you write?
180 days without buying anything. Packs push the limit up to ten years, and extensions take a capsül as far as fifty. So a message for the 18th birthday of a child who's 5 now will need extensions. The bigger the gap, the bigger the surprise.
What should go in a birthday message that won't be read for years?
Dated facts rather than good wishes: what you were doing that week, a phrase they say all the time. Wishes age badly, details age well. Avoid predictions about their life, because it will have changed. One story, told properly, is enough.
Can you add a photo to a birthday message?
Yes, from the first pack upwards: one photo per capsül, three with the Prestige pack. The free version is text only, and Capsül doesn't take video or audio. A photo taken the day you write often lands better than one from the party. It shows the before.