How to Wish Someone a Happy Birthday on Facebook

One of the reasons I generally DON’T wish people a happy birthday on Facebook is that it’s a struggle coming up with something good, especially in public. If I’m the first or even second or third person, I feel good with “Happy birthday!” If there are twelve “Happy birthday!”s already, plus a bunch of witty remarks, I sit there thinking for too long, then feel like I tried too hard. If I DO come up with something good, it’s hard to re-use it publicly for someone else’s birthday: if I’d put it in an email, no one would have known I used the same cute/clever line for everyone. Not that I do that.

I thought I would compile a list of how OTHER people solved this problem:

“Happy birthday!” The classic. Upside: no one thinks you’re trying too hard.

“Happy birthday!” + intensifier. Examples: “Happy happy happy birthday!” “HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!”

“Happy birthday!” + fancier. Examples: “Happiest of birthdays!” “A very happy birthday to you!” “HaPpY BiRtHdAy!~*~!”

“Happy birthday!” + sillier. Example: “Happy cake-and-presents day!” “Herpy berfderf!” “Happy Bmas!” “What the haps, homebirth!”

“Happy birthday!” + sticker or other birthday-card-type picture. This is one of my new favorites. It’s DECORATIVE, but I don’t have to think of something clever. Example:

Screen shot 2014-10-31 at 9.23.58 AM

“Happy birthday!” + name/nickname/endearment. Examples: “Happy birthday, Margaret!” “Happy birthday, sunshine!” “Happy birthday, Bundlebuns!”

“Happy birthday!” + instruction/wish regarding enjoyment of day. Examples: “Happy birthday! Have fun today!” “Happy birthday! Hope it’s great!”

“Happy birthday!” + instruction for specific suggested celebration technique. Examples: “Happy birthday! EAT CAKE!!” “Happy birthday! PARRRRRRRTAY!!” “Happy birthday! WINE TIME!”

“Happy birthday!” + compliment. Examples: “Happy birthday, pretty lady!” “Happy birthday, sweet friend!” “Happy birthday, hottttie!” “Happy birthday! You’re wonderful!”

“Happy birthday!” + affection. Example: “Happy birthday! I love you!” “Happy birthday! I’m glad you were born!”

“Happy birthday!” + teasing. Example: “Happy birthday to you and your manly beard!” “Happy birthday! Where’s the usual selfie??”

Joking reference to age, flattering/neutral. Examples: “Happy 29th birthday!” “Congratulations on the 13th anniversary of your 29th birthday!”

Joking reference to age, unflattering. Examples: “Happy birthday, old man!” “Happy birthday! Don’t light the house on fire with all those candles!”

“Happy birthday!” + apparent reference to in-joke. Examples: “Happy birthday! Don’t forget that elephant!” “Happy birthday! Hope it’s flurbastic!”

“Happy birthday!” + nostalgia. Examples: “Happy birthday! I can’t believe my baby girl is 28!” “Happy birthday! I remember when you were born! What a wonderful day!”

Pretending to sing. Example: “Happy birthday to you! / Happy birthday to you! / Happy birthday, dear [name], / Happy birthday to you!”

Piling it on. Example: “HAPPY BIRTHDAY, beautiful wonderful friend!!! ~*~*~ Have an AWESOME day, you DESERVE IT!!! Eat lots of cake! Have fun! I LOVE YOU!!!! xoxoxo”

 

And of course there are tons of triple combinations: “Happy birthday! Have a great day! I love you!” and “Happy 29th birthday, Margaret! Always remember the PALamo!!” “Hey, beautiful, it’s your birthday!! EAT CAKE!” In fact, now that I’ve listed it out, I don’t know what my problem is: this is not so hard.

20 thoughts on “How to Wish Someone a Happy Birthday on Facebook

  1. Jenny

    “What the haps, homebirth?” slayed me. SLAYED me. It gave me the giggles and I can’t stop.

    I am definitely saying that to my brother in May.

    Reply
  2. Joanne

    I am friends with all my Facebook friends, mostly, but in the rare case when it’s someone that is like a friend of my brother’s or someone for some reason I don’t know all that well, I say Happy Birthday! (always with an exclamation point, I find it very weird to just use a period or no punctuation at all). But if it’s someone who is a friend, a goodish friend, I say Happy Birthday! and I hope this is your best year yet! or something. And I’m always with the exclamation points, but just one, ha!

    Reply
  3. Lacey

    I am the terrible FB friend that loves raking in the HB posts on MY birthday, but rarely dish them out for others. It’s the same as what you said – if I’m one of the first, yeah, sure. But if I see a string of whatever HB version I typically use already on the page, I’d rather not. I mean, I don’t want to be seen as a crowd follower. I’ll be seen as inconsiderate but DO NOT accuse me of copying someone else’s HB wish. I won’t have it. ;)

    [In all honesty, the only ones I usually wish are those that interact with me on FB on a more regular basis yet I don’t have their phone number or email.]

    Reply
  4. Natalie

    I never wish people happy birthday on FB. For various reasons. These became clear to me yesterday: an acquaintance is in jail awaiting trial on a particularly offensive charge. I had forgotten to block him and yesterday those who are unaware of his situation were wishing him happy birthday. It seemed so wrong on so many levels. My own birthday is set to private (which I didn’t do intentionally but quite enjoy). YOU DON’T KNOW ME, Facebook.

    Reply
  5. Kathy

    Here’s my standard:

    -:¦:-·:*'””*:·.-:¦:-·*HAPPY BIRTHDAY*·-:¦:-·:*””’*:·-:¦:- name goes here!!! -:¦:-·

    Feel free to copy, save and paste. That’s how I got it!

    Reply
  6. Shawna

    Whoa, this is the most thought I’ve ever seen given to this topic!

    I like people wishing me a happy birthday on FB (the exception was this year – actually a couple of weeks ago – when I had kind of a busy, crappy birthday and felt like all that cheer was just rubbing in how not great my day was), so I try to do the same for others. What I say depends on how close I am to them, how much time I have to type, how witty I feel, etc. I don’t really feel any pressure, other than to acknowledge it in some way or other.

    Reply
  7. RA

    A couple of months before I joined Facebook, I read this article about how a guy faked his birthday on Facebook but hardly anyone noticed, and that tainted me. So I don’t love it when people who don’t really know me wish me a happy birthday, and I know it’s meaningless. This makes me sound like a jerk, I think. Anyway, all that to say, I don’t usually say happy birthday on Facebook because it seems so contrived. Almost TOO convenient.

    Reply
  8. Jessemy

    I picked up the birthday candles trick from my cousin:

    iii iii iii happy birthday! iii iii iii

    You can just see the stripes, can’t you?

    Reply
  9. Katie

    I usually go with the “Happy Birthday, here is a video of a cat riding a rumba.” And then I post a youtube video cat riding a rumba. I also like including the birthday cake scene for “Emperors New Groove.”

    Reply
  10. Alyson

    This post is why I want you to live near me so I can come over for coffee and chat (or you can come here, whatever). My happy birthday facebook posts really depend on how much I like you and or the last time I saw you. If we went to kindergarten together and or I don’t like you very much but feel I have to keep you as a facebook friend for political reasons, you get a “happy birthday”. It gets increasingly personalized from there. Some people I even skip altogether because I’m like, “Meh, I’m pretty sure birthday person doesn’t care if I bother to type something”

    Reply
  11. Idena

    Those happy birthday wishes that include a sticker bother me. When those are posted I think the person was trying to get attention. They always show up biggest and the regular “happy birthday” posts get overshadowed.

    I’m a fan of just “Happy Birthday!” for all my friends and relatives because it’s cheaper than sending a $3.99 Hallmark card. I will use all caps if it’s a big birthday (30, 40, 50, etc.) and a few exclamation marks if I like the person a lot.

    Reply
  12. BKC

    I have a friend that posts, “It is your birthday.” That’s it. Without fail, he writes the same message for every single person on his friends list, including his wife. The first year it was a little strange, but now I kind of gleefully wait for it.

    Reply
  13. erin d

    I wonder if you might write a similar post about ways to approach someone you’re interested in? I find i always aporeciate the charming, pleasant phrasing and approaches you and your commenters use, and i do hate to feel i’m using the same old tired, expected methods as everyone else.

    Reply
  14. allison

    I stress, type, erase and retype birthday greetings on Facebook too, but on my own birthday I’m completely happy just getting a string of simple Happy Birthday!s, so we probably shouldn’t.

    Reply
  15. liz

    I just say, “Happy birthday!”

    If I know them, really really well (like, brought a present MYSELF to their 10th birthday) I add something like, “I can’t believe we are [age]!” And IF I have a picture of them from when they were small easily available, I post it. Which I don’t generally have, so I don’t generally do.

    If they are a relative, I say, “Happy birthday, [cuz, niece, nephew]!” or “Happy birthday to the best big sister in the world!”

    Reply

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