A lot of us get so caught up in the day-to-day routine of living that we forget to take the time to celebrate important life events. Everyone tries to honor and respect weddings, funerals, and births, but that is about where it stops. Less and less people nowadays seem to make the effort to send good birthday greetings. At the best, they slip off a birthday e-card at the very last minute and call it a day. Although it is nice to get some sort of greeting or card on your birthday, it is even better if it is well thought out. Sending the perfect birthday greeting is an art. It requires time, patience, and planning. Although you might find a good birthday card on a stop by hallmark on the way home, it is not likely. Take some time and plan it out ahead.

A lot of people wonder what makes the perfect birthday greetings. I know I used to have a hard time picking out birthday presents and cards. Finding the perfect gift is always difficult, even if it is something fairly routine like a birthday. I've always thought the one thing you don't want to do is to err on the side of caution. When you are sending birthday greetings, you have license to be informal. You can even be light and satirical of someone as long as you take care not to hurt their feelings. That doesn't mean to be cute, but it does mean that you can have a personal message in your birthday greetings. Try to make it significant and meaningful even if it is also light and funny. It will mean that much more to the recipient.

I have always thought that birthday greetings are a great time for inside jokes. After all, a birthday card has to be short and to the point, yet personal. Nothing fits this quite like an inside joke. It is something that reminds the person of your shared connection and brings up a memory of good times you had together. It is also a great way to rekindle friendships that might be falling by the wayside, using humor to remind someone how much they mean to you. The best thing to do is to not look at birthday greetings as a chore, but an opportunity. Then it will be easy to find the right thing to say.