Nothing says “I love you!” quite like generic store-bought birthday cards. Because why write a heartfelt note to your loved ones when you can pay for someone else’s prose?
Katherine Ryan, a Canadian standup comedian, has been on the receiving end of such birthday cards for years, but with a personalized touch – the “red ink” of her father’s editing marker, according to Huffington Post.
Apparently, a keen sense of humor runs in the family. And it makes for a very different kind of “Hallmark moment.”
This year, Ryan tweeted out a photo of the card she received from pops, writing, “Like he’s done every year, my dad has crossed out the passages that he doesn’t feel apply to me in my birthday card.”
Her dad has redacted phrases such as “your unfailing commitment to doing the right thing” and “the childlike wonder that still colors your days.”
While birthday trends come and go, you can count on stores to stock rows birthday cards stuffed with praise. The average person doesn’t need to hear how they singlehandedly fill your life with joy and how their smile turns the world into a rainbow magic land. At least Ryan’s dad expresses his true feelings in his cards?
“Sure, there’s a chilliness to these thick, black strike-throughs, but perhaps our children will see them as motivation to do better next year,” Randall Colburn said in his article on A.V. Club.
Granted, Ryan is a grown 34-year-old woman – though it sounds like this has been a pretty long-standing tradition. A lot depends on your family dynamics, of course, though we’re not exactly sold on this approach the younger set. (If you’re looking for a fun way to embarrass your kids, might we suggest outdated dance moves?)
Nonetheless, the internet does love a left-field father-daughter story. The tweet has been retweeted over 5,000 times and accumulated 24,000 likes.
“Why haven’t I thought to do this?” David Burnham (@mulletsdad) tweeted in response to Ryan’s tweet. “All those card I’ve had to reject, over the years, because of inappropriate sentiments.”
“Not sure if I should applaud your dad’s honesty or open a Kickstarter for your therapy,” Carol_T (@caroltalm) tweeted at Ryan.
Whether it’s cause for years of therapy or serves as motivation for Ryan to do better, the card clearly comes from a good place. After all, the words left behind express a heartfelt message with all that fluff out of the way.
Would you try Katherine Ryan’s dad’s approach for your kid’s next birthday card? Let us know in the comments below.
Photo from original Twitter post by Katherine Ryan
