What can I write in my 18 year old birthday card funny?

Table of Contents

• Overview
• Where do I start?
• Should I write about them or me?
• How do I know what sort of message would be funny?
• What should I write if we're close?

Overview

The most important thing is to make the message heartfelt and truly relevant to the recipient, but also to show that you have put some effort into thinking about it. The easiest way to do this is to refer to something in their life: a person, event or hobby for example.

If you want to be funny, the best way to do this is in a personal way, so again, refer to something in their life. Use the tips below to help you work out what sort of message will be best.

Where do I start?

If you have a quick look online at other articles that offer advice on what funny things you could write, you'll find that they all just list generic messages which let's face it, are not going to be very good. If anyone else has written something similar it won't look great.

The best way is to think about the sorts of things they like and what they find funny; maybe think about the sort of humour they enjoy - if they're into films for example maybe it's something silly like slapstick stuff (like Wayne's World or Dumb and Dumber), or maybe edgy stuff like Borat.

Of course it's possible that they don't even know what sort of humour they like; if that's true, just try making fun of them and see what happens! I think the most important thing here is that you try something and show that you've thought about it a little bit instead of just writing 'Happy Birthday' like everyone else does. Even if it's not really their sort of thing I'm sure they'll appreciate it and it'll make them feel good.

Should I write about them or me?

Generally it's much better to say something about them; for example call them a silly name or make fun of something they've done (or maybe are doing right now). This shows that you've really thought about it and have made some effort which people always appreciate. If you're able to reference something they're currently doing it'll really demonstrate this; for example if they've recently done something stupid (which we all have at some point), mention that. If they've got a particular style of clothing or hair at the moment which looks silly, that's another good thing as well as showing your thoughtfulness.

I can understand why you'd ask this question though; sometimes it's easier to make fun of yourself, especially if you're not used to being mean or silly. Many of us are used to being nice all the time so it can feel strange and uncomfortable trying something new. If that's how you feel then yes definitely make fun of yourself instead; this is much easier because you've known yourself for longer than anyone else so will know exactly what sort of thing will work!

How do I know what sort of message would be funny?

Assuming you want to make fun of them (which generally works best) you'll need an idea about what sort of thing would be funny for them. To do this just think about what they laugh at when watching TV with friends; as mentioned before there are lots of different types of comedy so just try to remember how they've reacted in different situations with friends.

Or another good way is just watch how they interact with other people; if it's someone close I'm sure you'll have seen them joking with friends or family so you'll know what sort of stuff works for them.

As a general rule though, many people seem happy with light teasing but definitely don't go too far unless you're confident they'll be ok with it. Many people including me have been brought up believing it's wrong to insult people but actually for many it's ok as long as it's obvious you're joking. For some reason many people believe that when someone's nice they're pretending and when they're horrible they're being honest which makes no sense; who knows where these ideas come from?

What should I write if we're close?

This depends on your relationship with them really - if you're close siblings then you'll almost certainly have made fun each other before so you'll already know how they'll react. If you're not sure though (for example if this is a new relationship) I'd recommend playing safe and starting with something that's obviously silly so there's no chance they'll take it seriously.

Whatever your relationship is it'll probably be fine but just start gently and see how they react. Most likely they'll enjoy it because as I've said before they'll appreciate that you've actually made an effort, even if it's not quite right for them.