40th birthday, 40 pieces of mail!
January 4th, 2012
My good friend Jen turned 40 a couple of months ago. I wanted to give her something special, but what? Jen knits and crochets beautiful things for money and for fun, so I didn’t feel the need to crochet her something. She and her husband already own several dottery mugs and things I’ve painted for them over the years. They live across the country from me, and they’re moving next summer so Jen has been in the process of paring down her family’s belongings for a while. I wanted to send something that she would really enjoy, something that wouldn’t be just one more thing she’d be annoyed to pack next summer.
I was pondering my options when I remembered the photo messages I used to send to far-away friends when I was a kid. My mom would take photos of me holding up a series of signs, each sign with a word or phrase on it. Put together, all the photos would make a complete message. I used to really have fun with it, dressing in different crazy outfits and posing in silly places. I’d send the photos one at a time over the course of a couple of weeks.
And then I had my brilliant idea. I would send Jen 40 pieces of mail for her birthday! Who doesn’t love getting mail? Who doesn’t feel that little thrill when they see an envelope in the mailbox that’s not a bill or a mailer advertising the new carpet-cleaning company? I could send postcards, letters, even the occasional small care package. It wouldn’t break the bank since stamps are relatively cheap, and I already own tons of rarely-used stationery. I would be extending the birthday joy for more than a month—almost two months, as it turned out. And Jen wouldn’t have a fragile or unwieldy new thing to pack (or to feel guilty about getting rid of). Win-win-win!
I didn’t tell Jen what I was doing. I just started sending her numbered mail. It only took her about three days to figure it out. She sent me an email (subject: “Stinker!”) that read:
You’ve been up to something, haven’t you?…It all started to make sense today as my mail started piling up. It was like the ending of an M. Night Shyamalan movie.
I think she meant one of the good M. Night Shyamalan movies. At least, I hope she did.
I sent homemade cookies.
Annalie helped out with a couple of drawings and a bookmark.
I sent a few postcards.
Well, lots of postcards, actually.
Lots and lots of postcards.
I helped Jen face her fear of glitter, because I’m a good friend like that.
I sent her a copy of the soundtrack to Scrubs: My Musical, so that the next time she’s stuck in traffic on the 805 with me and Sonja for four hours and we insist on singing “Everything Comes Down to Poo,” she’ll be able to sing along.
A dime bag of Canadian Smarties. (Inside joke. I told Jen I would send her a box of the Smarties that Jen Wilson had sent me, and Jen said she didn’t need a whole box, that I should just send her a little bag. I said I’d send her a dime bag. It…isn’t really that funny, I guess. But it was hilarious to us.)
A Nebraska care package, when I was visiting Omaha.
A little bag of jelly beans. This is one of those 13-ounces-or-less things, where I just stuck an address label and postage right on the package and dropped it in the mail.
We mailed a little bit of autumn.
I slowed down a lot towards the end. Several days went by between each of the last three or four pieces of mail I sent. I was a little sad it was coming to an end. I had a lot of fun with this project, even more fun than I expected. I think I’ll have to do something like this again sometime.
Finally, six weeks after Jen’s actual birthday, I was sending #40. And what else could possibly be good enough for the final piece of birthday mail except some really, really ridiculously good apricot cookies?
Happy birthday, Jen!
All the mail I sent is in the Flickr photoset 40 pieces of mail.
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That was one FABULOUS gift idea! Thanks for sharing your fun with the rest of us!
You are incredible. Such a great idea!!
You win at pretty much everything ever.
That is awesome.
You STILL have the ransom chocolate cookie stationary!?!?
Erin, I do! I kind of can’t believe I still have it either. I think I’ve had it since junior high!
Absolutely one of my best gifts ever!! EVER!!! You have no idea (well, you do now, ha!) how much I love mail. I think I’ve told you in the past that I had about 15 different pen pals when I was a kid, because I couldn’t say no to more mail, could I?
Yes, it was one of the good movies, hahaha. I’m wrapping up my post right now, to explain.
The dime bag still makes me giggle and the sour sour (I think that’s what it says?) stationary is my favorite. :)
[...] It was like that moment in the Sixth Sense where everything suddenly began to piece together and I realized, Holy Cow!! I’m gonna get FORTY PIECES OF MAIL!!! How cool is that???? And I did. It was hands down one of my best birthday gifts ever. Bethany sent me all sorts of cool notes, treats, drawings, even nature! You can see all of the mail she sent me on her blog. [...]
Just curious…but why is #29 marked 29/30 instead of 29/40?
Lauren, #29 is marked 29/30 because I made a mistake. :-)
I love this idea. I’m already addicted to fun mail, so the idea of getting something like this would be amazing!
Fabulous idea – Love the Nebraska care package!! Haven’t had Vic’s in ages.
This is so awesome!
My sister turns 30 this fall — I think I’m going to steal this idea and send her a whole month of mail :) I need to start collecting postcards now.
You are an inspiration. Thought, time, creativity and love what a great gift to give a friend
That is so much fun!!! And I love that you spread it out, what a way to make a birthday last for a long time, the celebration just didn’t end…
Wow, what a great idea! I am going to have to do this! I think this would be a great way to stay in touch with my nieces and nephew who live across the country from me. *goes off to brainstorm*
Totally awesome.
What a great way to mark a special birthday – and I love the dime bag joke.
what an absolutely fantastic idea! thinking I’ll do that for my son’s 10th bday and my niece’s too – very cute!!
your friends are so lucky to have you!
so stealing this idea…love it!!!
Now I want to turn 40.
Ok, I’m pretty sure you’re the best friend anyone ever had ever.
Aw, I don’t know about that…but thanks!
What an awesome idea!! And so ambitious. :)
I love this idea! What fun! :)