WishesHow to write a wish that sounds like you
A wish does not have to be clever. It has to sound like you, and it has to sound like it was meant for one person. Here is a simple way to write one in under a minute, and to improve any wish you copy from this site.
The three line method
- Name and occasion. Start with the person, not the event: "Happy birthday, Meenu".
- One true thing. A memory, a habit of theirs, or a thank you: "Nobody else laughs at my jokes before I finish them."
- One hope for them. Make it fit their life now: "I hope the new job is everything you wanted."
That is all. Three short lines beat a long forward every time, because the person can tell you wrote it.
Match the tone to the person
| Who | Tone | Good to add | Better to skip |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parents, grandparents | Warm, respectful | Thanks, a blessing for health | Jokes about age |
| Close friends | Playful | An inside joke, a plan to meet | Formal words |
| Spouse or partner | Personal | Something you noticed this year | Lines that could be sent to anyone |
| Boss, client, teacher | Polite, short | Thanks for guidance, good health | Emojis in a row, nicknames |
| Children | Simple, proud | What you admire in them | Advice and comparisons |
Which language?
Write in the language you speak with that person at home. A wish to your grandmother in Punjabi or Hindi, in its own script, will mean more than perfect English. If you speak a mix, write a mix. Nobody talks like a greeting card.
When to send it
- Birthdays and anniversaries: in the morning. A midnight message is for the closest few.
- Festivals: the evening before or early on the day, before the forwards pile up.
- Exams and interviews: the evening before, so it does not add to the morning rush.
- Good news: the same day you hear it.
- Late? Send it anyway, with one line of sorry. A late wish is better than none.
Five small mistakes that spoil a wish
- Sending the same forward to a whole contact list. People notice.
- Writing more about yourself than about them.
- Adding advice to a wish. A birthday is not the day for it.
- Posting a private memory in a group. Send it one to one.
- Waiting for the perfect words. Plain and on time is better.
Start from a ready wish
Pick any wish from Birthday, Anniversary, Good morning or the full list, copy it, and change one line to something only you could have written. That one line is what they will remember.
Worked examples
| Occasion | The copied wish | Made your own |
|---|---|---|
| A friend's birthday | Happy birthday! Have a great year ahead. | Happy birthday, Gogi. Twenty years since you taught me to ride that cycle. Dinner on me on Saturday. |
| Parents' anniversary | Happy anniversary to a lovely couple. | Happy 35th, Mummy and Papa. Everything I know about staying kind in an argument, I learnt at your dining table. |
| A colleague's promotion | Congratulations on your promotion! | Congratulations, Neha. I saw the weekends that went into the audit. Nobody earned this more. |
| Diwali, to a customer | Happy Diwali to you and your family. | Happy Diwali, Mr Bansal. Thank you for trusting us with your orders this year. Team Gupta Stores. |
In each case the copied wish is the frame, and one true detail is the picture inside it.
When a wish is hard to write
- You hardly know the person: keep it short and correct. A plain, warm line is better than forced closeness.
- You have had a quarrel: wish anyway, simply. A birthday is a door left open. Do not mention the quarrel in the wish.
- The person has had a sad year: leave out "best year ever". Wish for peace, health and easier days.
- You forgot: say so in half a line, and wish fully. Excuses make it worse.
More help: which greeting to use for each festival, and what to write in a card, on a gift tag and on a shagun envelope.