1. tbf
  2. group birthday card
  3. Sister birthday card

Birthday wishes for your sister.
What to write.

Write the one thing you have never quite said out loud. That is the line she will read twice.

The lines below are sorted by how well you know her and how close you are. Pick the one that fits, use her name, and sign.

Create a cardRead a sample card

Everyone's words in one card.

Updated

Botanical birthday card. Happy birthday.

You have been in every chapter of my life and I am glad. Happy birthday.

From Maya

You made being older look worth it. Happy birthday.

From Dev

You came along and made the family better. Still true now. Happy birthday.

From Ellen

Pick a design

  • Marker lettering with a highlighter stroke. Happy birthday. You still can't fold a fitted sheet and that's fine.
  • A roast potato. Happy birthday. Have the last roast potato.
  • A sun. Happy birthday. Hope the sun comes out.
  • Marker lettering with a highlighter stroke. Happy birthday. Stay exactly as you are. Maybe tidier.
  • A speech bubble. Happy birthday to our favourite person in the group chat. Don't tell the others.
  • Pop birthday card. Happy birthday.
  • A birthday present. Happy birthday. Open it before the tea cools.
  • Marker lettering. Happy birthday. I got you a card. "present" is crossed out and "card" written above it.
  • Dinner together. Table for two, cake for one. The birthday rules.
  • Marker lettering. Happy birthday. First round's on you. "us" is crossed out and "you" written above it.

The question

Each writer gets a question.

One at a time, about Sam. They answer in their own words, or write without one.

Who they are to you
  1. Something Sam did this year that you still think about.
  2. Words of Sam's that you have caught yourself using.
  3. A day Sam made better just by turning up.
  4. Something Sam taught you without meaning to.
  5. A small thing about Sam that nobody else would notice.
  6. The story about Sam you tell most.
  1. The moment you knew you had a proper friend in Sam.
  2. Something Sam did that only a friend would.
  3. A thing you still laugh about together.
  4. The time Sam turned up when it mattered.
  5. Something Sam knew about you before you said it.
  1. Something Sam did for the family that went unsaid.
  2. A habit of Sam's that you have caught yourself copying.
  3. A memory of Sam from when you were younger.
  4. Something Sam put up with from you.
  5. Something Sam taught you, mostly by example.
  1. A small thing Sam did that you noticed and never mentioned.
  2. The moment you knew.
  3. Something Sam did this year that made things easier for you.
  4. A thing about Sam you would not change.
  5. Something Sam carried that was yours to carry.
  1. The thing you go to Sam for.
  2. Something you picked up from working beside Sam.
  3. A bad day at work that Sam turned round.
  4. Something a new starter should be told about Sam.
  5. Something Sam did that made the job feel worth doing.

Or write without one.

Lines for the card

Pick the line that sounds like you. Change one detail so it is true of her, then sign.

Close sisters

  • You have been in every chapter of my life and I am glad. Happy birthday.

  • Growing up with you was chaotic and I would not change a single stupid minute of it.

  • You knew me before I knew myself. That is a debt I cannot pay. Happy birthday.

  • I do not say this enough: you are one of the best people I know. Happy birthday.

  • Half my best memories have you in them. Happy birthday to my favourite person.

Older sister

  • You went first so I would not have to figure it out alone. I noticed. Happy birthday.

  • You were the blueprint. I have been copying you ever since. Happy birthday.

  • Thank you for every piece of advice I pretended not to take and then quietly used.

  • You made being older look worth it. Happy birthday.

Younger sister

  • Watching you become the person you are has been the best thing I have been part of.

  • You were the loudest thing in the house and you still are. I love you for it. Happy birthday.

  • I used to think I was teaching you things. Turns out you were teaching me. Happy birthday.

  • You came along and made the family better. Still true now. Happy birthday.

From the whole family

  • From all of us: you are the one who holds this lot together and we know it. Happy birthday.

  • We do not say it at the table, so we are saying it here. We love you. Happy birthday.

  • This family would be quieter and worse without you. Happy birthday from all of us.

  • Happy birthday. Every single one of us is glad you are here.

Short

  • Happy birthday. I love you and that is the whole message.

  • You are my sister and my best bit of luck. Happy birthday.

  • Proud of you. Always. Happy birthday.

  • Happy birthday. You already know how much.

What to leave out

Do not write about how much she has changed. She knows she has changed. Write about what has stayed the same between you.

Do not list her qualities like a reference. One specific thing you remember is worth more than five adjectives.

Do not make the card about your own feelings at length. One honest line is enough. Two starts to feel like a speech.

Do not end with a promise you will not keep. If you are not going to call every week, do not write it.

One card from the whole family

Everyone who loves her, one link, and it opens on her birthday morning.

  1. 01

    Set her birthday.

    The card stays locked until that morning. Nobody reads it early.

  2. 02

    Send the link to the family.

    Each person writes their own line, in their own words. No chasing, no printing.

  3. 03

    She opens it on the day.

    Every name, every line, in one place. She can read it as many times as she wants.

Create a card

Questions

What do you write in an emotional birthday card for your sister?

Write the one true thing you have not said recently. Name a moment or a quality that is specific to her, not something you could write for anyone.

How do you make a birthday message for your sister feel personal?

Use her name and one detail only she would recognise. A shared memory, a running joke, something she did that you have not forgotten.

Can the whole family sign one birthday card for a sister?

Yes. On tbf, everyone signs from a single link and it opens for her on the day. Each person writes their own words and signs their own name.

Part of group birthday card.

More guides

Somebody has a day coming up.

Create a card

Everyone's words in one card.