dad turns seventy
My dad recently turned seventy (!) and my mom and I wanted to do something special for him. Dad didn't want a big party, and he and my mom were going to be out of town on his actual birthday, so we decided to give him a gift that would continue all month long.
I printed 70 postcards on thick cardstock (110 lb.), each with a different number between 1 and 70. My mom helped gather addresses for seventy of the important people in my dad's life: family members, old classmates, dear friends and all his grandchildren. Included in the envelope was a card explaining that it was dad's birthday, and that they needed to send the postcard back sharing their funniest memory of Skip. To make things easy, I pre-addressed and pre-stamped the postcards so all they had to do was write a quick note on the back and toss the card in the mail.
When my dad got home a few days after his birthday, there were a handful of cards in his mailbox. He was surprised and delighted. And then the next day there were a few more cards, and the day after that, a few more. This continued on for the rest of the month until he had quite a stack. I hadn't asked people to stagger when they mailed their cards, that just happened naturally. Some of the notes were heartfelt and quite moving, others were funny, bringing up memories my dad hadn't thought about in years. I especially loved reading what his grandchildren wrote. All in all, a pretty inexpensive gift (postage was our main expense) and one I think my dad will remember for quite some time.
11.8.2011
Reader Comments (67)
Hey! Just wanted to let you know that I featured this on my blog and that I really love what you did! Very sweet, incredibly unique and so heartwarming. I can't wait to do this for my dad ;)
Lindsay
Clandestine Closet
Love this idea!! I would like to use it for my moms 50th birthday.... just scanning the pics and other comments...wondering how you worded the cards to guests about replying with a written memory?
Thanks a million,
Sarah
i'm getting teary reading about this idea. what a perfect gift. i might just have to use this idea!
I love this idea and am going to "borrow" it for my mom's upcoming 70th. I know this was a while ago, but do you have any idea what fonts you used for the postcards that you made? I'm not so creative and have no idea where to even start looking...thank you!!
I love this idea. Any chance you might share a template?
Ditto to Betsy's request for the template, please!
What a fabulous idea!!!! Can you tell me what is printed on the side with "Skip turns 70?" The message to family and friends....
Thank you!