Thoughtful gift ideas, quotes & card messages.
Find a thoughtful gift and the words for the card, for graduations, anniversaries, birthdays and the harder days in between.
I didn’t know what to get you, so I got you this and wrote down what I actually think.
Thoughtful gift guides
All gift guides- Graduation Gifts for Your Daughter, and What to Write With Them13 graduation gifts for your daughter, from small keepsakes to a splurge watch, each with a line for the card. Picks from mom, from dad or from both.
- 1-Year Anniversary Gifts for Your Boyfriend That Prove You Were Paying Attention1-year anniversary gifts for your boyfriend, from a $7.79 wallet card to an $85 hand-cut map, each with a line for the card and who should skip it.
- Graduation Gifts for High School Boys Who Say They Don't Want Anything14 graduation gifts for high school boys, from a $16 cord case to a Carhartt duffel, for college, trades and first cars.
- Anniversary Gifts by Year: Traditional and Modern, From Paper to DiamondAnniversary gifts by year, traditional and modern, in one table from year 1 to 60, plus 14 picks by material and a note on where the lists disagree.
- How Much Money to Give for Graduation, Depending on Who You AreHow much money to give for graduation, by relationship: what Emily Post and Western Union say, why no rule exists, and 12 good ways to hand over cash.
- Anniversary Gifts for a Long-Distance Boyfriend or Girlfriend, and What to WriteAnniversary gifts for a long-distance boyfriend or girlfriend, from a $14.99 pillowcase to $237 touch frames, for the days you can't be in the room.
Quotes and card messages
All quotesYou finished. I get to say I knew you when.Little Softer DaysYou’re the first person I call with good news, so here’s some: you graduated.Little Softer DaysI’ve looked up flights. I’m not saying when. I’m saying I’ve looked.Little Softer DaysSome friends you choose. Some just keep sitting next to you until it’s official.Little Softer Days
- What to Write in a Graduation Card for a Friend, From Classmate to Best FriendWhat to write in a graduation card for a friend: 60 original lines for a best friend, a classmate, a friend moving away or one who had a hard road.
- What to Write in a Graduation Card for Someone You Don't Know WellWhat to write in a graduation card for someone you don't know well: 55 lines for a friend's kid, a neighbor, a distant relative or a coworker.
- What to Write in an Anniversary Card to a Couple You Love, Know or Barely KnowWhat to write in an anniversary card to a couple: 60 original wishes for friends, family, coworkers and long-married pairs, plus what to leave out.
- Anniversary Wishes for Your Husband That Actually Sound Like YouAnniversary wishes for your husband that sound like you: 69 original lines, romantic, funny and short, for a card, a text, a hard year or time apart.
- Funny Graduation Card Messages That Tease Without StingingFunny graduation card messages for friends, students, sons and daughters: 59 original jokes, plus what to write so the joke lands and nobody's hurt.
- Graduation Quotes for Your Daughter That Sound Like YouGraduation quotes for your daughter from mom, dad or both: 56 original lines for a card, from short and funny to honors and hard-won finishes.
Gifts and messages for hard times
All hard times
Grief and SympathyWhen everyone else has gone back to normal.
DepressionWhen getting out of bed is the hard part.
Illness and RecoveryWhen the cards stopped arriving.
A BreakupWhen the evenings are the worst part.BurnoutWhen a long weekend doesn’t touch it anymore.A Hard TimeWhen you want to help and don’t know how.Losing a PetWhen the house is too quiet.Losing a JobWhen people keep asking what comes next.What you can expect here
- Who it’s wrong forEvery gift comes with a reason to skip it, so you can rule things out fast.
- Words you can actually useOriginal lines to copy into a card or a text, and the clichés to leave out.
- Honest about moneyWe disclose affiliate links wherever we use them, and include thoughtful ideas at every budget, including free ones.