How to write a Valentine’s card that doesn’t make either of you cringe
A short, slightly embarrassing rulebook from the studio that designs the cards.
Valentine’s Day is the hardest greeting card holiday to write for. Birthdays let you off the hook with a joke. Thank-yous have a clear job to do. Valentine’s asks you to say something true, in handwriting, on a piece of paper that someone may or may not put in a drawer for the next forty years.
A few rules that have served us well:
1. Don’t quote anyone. Not Rumi, not Mary Oliver, not the song that was playing. The whole point of writing it down is that it’s yours.
2. Be specific. “I love you” is fine. “I love how you laugh at your own jokes before the punchline” is unforgettable. The specific thing is the gift.
3. End on a small promise. A future moment, however tiny. “Coffee in the kitchen tomorrow.” It gives the card a future, not just a feeling.
That’s it. Three sentences and a stamp.
