What to Write in a Card When You Do Not Want to Sound Generic

You know the moment. The card is open, the pen is in your hand, and suddenly every word you have ever known has left your brain.

You want to write something that actually means something, but everything you think of sounds like it came straight off the front of the card itself.

Wishing you a wonderful day.

Hope all your dreams come true.

Lovely sentiments, of course. But they do not always sound like you, do they?

If you have ever sat there staring at a blank card wondering what on earth to write, this one is for you. Not a script to copy, because that would defeat the whole purpose. Think of this as a gentle guide to help you find words that actually feel like yours.

At littlehoothoot, my cards are blank inside for exactly this reason. The front carries a little hand-painted story. The inside is for yours.

Cards Pictured: Garden Poppies and Poppies

Generic is not bad, it is just a starting point

First, let's take the pressure off.

There is nothing wrong with writing "Happy Birthday" and leaving it at that. Sometimes you genuinely do not know what to say, and a simple message with your name underneath still shows you turned up with a card in hand.

That counts.

But if you are reading this, you are probably after something a little more personal. The good news is that personal does not mean long, poetic, or profound.

It just means it could only have come from you, for them.

Card Pictured: Happy Birthday Sunflower

The best card messages I've ever received

I've been lucky enough to receive cards written in all sorts of styles over the years, and honestly, the ones that stuck with me couldn't be more different from each other.

My sister-in-law writes the most beautiful, thoughtful messages in my birthday cards. They're sweet and personal in a way I can't quite describe, the kind of message that makes you pause after reading it. She even writes the date and the year at the top, which I love, because it turns the card into a little keepsake. Years from now, I'll know exactly when she wrote it.

My husband goes in the complete opposite direction. His messages are silly, funny, sometimes slightly ridiculous, and somehow they're just as memorable.

And then there's one of my mates, who once wrote BEER in giant letters all over the inside of a card. Multiple times. In different spots. No message, no explanation, just BEER. And you know what? It was perfect, because that's something the two of us connect over, and I knew exactly what it meant. I've also received (and given) cards with silly little stick figure drawings and random doodles scattered around the inside.

Wildly different styles. All of them meaningful. Because none of them were generic. They were all unmistakably them.

Card Pictured: Lady Lemon

The secret ingredient is your relationship

Here's what I've noticed ties all those cards together: they each came from something real between me and the person writing.

An in-joke. A little moment we experienced together. Something we both find funny that nobody else would understand. Those things have a way of finding their path into a card, and they're usually what makes the message feel special.

So if you're stuck, don't start with "what should a birthday card say?" Start with "what's ours?" What's the thing that belongs to just you and this person?

• A moment that still makes you both laugh
• Something they always do that makes you smile
• A word, a phrase, or yes, even a beverage, that means something between you
• Something you adore about them that you never actually say out loud

Sometimes you love someone so much you want to pour it all into the card. Do it. And sometimes the most personal thing you can write is one word, really big, that only they will understand.

Cards Pictured: Congratulations and Congrats Script

Don't forget the sign-off

The sign-off is part of the message too, and it's something people quietly stress over more than you'd think. Lots of love? Much love? Love from? Just a little heart and your name?

There's no rule here. My honest advice: write what you'd actually say. If "lots of love" is something you'd say to them out loud, write it. If you're more of a heart-doodle person, draw the heart. If you're signing a joint card with a few people, don't overthink the order or the wording. The fact that you all signed it already says plenty.

Card Pictured: I Love You Daisy

A guideline, not a formula

I really do not want to tell you exactly what to write in a greeting card, because the moment it becomes a formula, it loses the thing that makes it lovely.

When you write in a card, it is coming from your hands and your mind. That is the whole magic of it.

So instead, here is the loose guideline I would offer:

Think of the person, not just the occasion. A birthday, wedding, new baby, thank you, or just-because card gives you the reason to write. But the person gives you the words.

Reach for something specific. An in-joke, a memory, a doodle, a single word, or one true thing you appreciate about them will usually say more than a polished sentence ever could.

Write it how you would say it. If you are funny, be funny. If you are a softie, be a softie. If you are awkward but sincere, that is allowed too.

Sign off in your own way. A heart, “lots of love,” your name, or something completely ridiculous. If it sounds like you, it belongs.

Stop second-guessing. Scribbles are part of the personalisation. So are crossings-out, wonky handwriting, and the slightly squashed last line when you realise you are running out of room.

The person opening your card is not hoping for perfect words.

They are hoping to hear from you.

Whether that is a heartfelt paragraph, a stick figure, or BEER written six times in capital letters, if it is yours, it will never feel generic.

If you are looking for a card with room for your own words, browse the littlehoothoot greeting card collection.