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Letters for the right moment

Letters for the right moment, delivered on the day

Some letters are meant for one moment: a birthday, a first day, a hard week. You may know them as open when letters. On timedrop.it you write them now and pick the day each one arrives.

Blank page? Start from a moment, we’ll fill the first line and the date
2 free letters a year

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Write as much as you like first. Sending it takes a free account (one tap with Apple or Google), and your draft stays saved on this device.

Letter to the future
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How do these letters work?

It’s a set of sealed letters, each labelled with the moment it’s for: “open when you miss me”, “open on your 30th birthday”, “open when you get the job”. They’re a classic gift for long-distance couples and military families, and they work just as well for friends, parents and graduates.

Some of those moments have a date and some only have a feeling. For the dated ones a scheduled letter is ideal: it arrives that very morning, and nobody has to keep a box of envelopes safe for years.

How do you send them online?

  1. 01

    Make your list

    Write the moments down first: dates you know (birthdays, anniversaries, graduation, the first day in a new city) and moments you can place roughly (the first winter away, six months into a new job).

  2. 02

    Write one letter per moment

    Each letter is its own capsule, with its own date and, if you like, photos and a voice note.

  3. 03

    Schedule each one

    Pick the day and time it should arrive. Morning suits a birthday, evening suits an anniversary dinner.

  4. 04

    Tell them, or keep it a surprise

    Send a first letter now that explains the idea, or let the first one arrive out of nowhere.

60 ideas for letters with a date

Fifteen for each of the people you’re most likely to write to. Every one has a date you can schedule.

For your partner

  1. Open on our anniversary
  2. Open on the morning of your birthday
  3. Open on your first day at the new job
  4. Open when we have lived together for a year
  5. Open on the day you finish your degree
  6. Open the week you move to a new city
  7. Open on Valentine’s Day
  8. Open on the first day of our holiday
  9. Open when you have been away for a month
  10. Open on New Year’s Day
  11. Open one year after we got engaged
  12. Open on our tenth anniversary
  13. Open on the morning of a big exam or interview
  14. Open on the night before our wedding
  15. Open on an ordinary Tuesday, just because

For your best friend

  1. Open on your birthday
  2. Open on the day you start university
  3. Open on the anniversary of the day we met
  4. Open on your first day in a new country
  5. Open when you turn 30
  6. Open on the morning of your wedding
  7. Open the day after your last exam
  8. Open a year after you moved away
  9. Open on the first day of your new job
  10. Open on New Year’s Eve
  11. Open on the day your baby is due
  12. Open on your 40th birthday
  13. Open ten years after we graduated
  14. Open on the morning of your marathon
  15. Open on a random Friday in November

For your child

  1. Open on your first day of school
  2. Open on your 10th birthday
  3. Open on your 13th birthday
  4. Open on your first day of high school
  5. Open on your 16th birthday
  6. Open on your 18th birthday
  7. Open on the morning you leave for university
  8. Open on your graduation day
  9. Open on your 21st birthday
  10. Open on the first Christmas you spend away from home
  11. Open on your 25th birthday
  12. Open when you turn the age I was when you were born
  13. Open when you turn 30
  14. Open on Mother’s Day or Father’s Day, the year you become a parent
  15. Open on New Year’s Day when you are 20

For yourself

  1. Open on your next birthday
  2. Open on New Year’s Day
  3. Open one year into the new job
  4. Open six months after the move
  5. Open on the day the course ends
  6. Open when you turn 40
  7. Open on the first day of your holiday
  8. Open on the Sunday before a big deadline
  9. Open on the anniversary of a hard day
  10. Open one year after you quit
  11. Open on the last day of the school year
  12. Open when this chapter is supposed to be over
  13. Open when the baby turns one
  14. Open on the first day of retirement
  15. Open on the day the lease ends

How to write one of these letters

  • Name the moment in the first line
  • Mention one detail only the two of you share
  • Say what you hope is true for them on that day, and leave room for the day to turn out differently
  • Keep it short enough to read twice
  • Add a voice note to the ones that matter most
  • End with something they can do that day: call you, go outside, open the next one

Letters for feelings that have no date

The classic set also has letters for a mood: open when you can’t sleep, open when you miss me, open when you need a laugh. A scheduled letter can’t tell when someone feels low. For these, pick a time when that feeling is likely, like the second week in a new city or the month before exams, and send a few letters to arrive then.

Guides for the letters that matter most

A Letter to Your Partner to Open in 10 Years

How to write a letter your partner will open a decade from now. What to say, what to avoid, a short example and how to make sure it arrives.

Read more →
How to Write a Birthday Message for the Future

A simple guide to writing a birthday message someone will open on a future birthday, milestone ideas, what to say and how to make sure it arrives on the day.

Read more →
A Letter to Your Child to Open on Their 18th Birthday: How to Write One

How to write a letter for your child to open at 18, what to include, what to leave out, a short example and how to make sure it actually reaches them.

Read more →
Wedding & Anniversary Time Capsule: Letters to Open on Your 1st, 5th & 10th

A simple way to turn your wedding into a gift that keeps arriving, what to put in a couple’s time capsule and which letters to write for each anniversary.

Read more →
Milestone Birthday Time Capsule: Ideas for 18, 30, 40 and 50

Turn a big birthday into a time capsule: letters from friends and family, what to put in for an 18th, 30th, 40th or 50th, and when to have it opened.

Read more →
What to Write in a Letter to Your Future Self: 100 Prompts, Examples and a Template

Stuck on what to say to your future self? 100 prompts sorted by topic and life stage, three short example letters, a template to copy and how far ahead to send it.

Read more →

Questions about letters for the right moment

What is a letter for the right moment?

A letter written for one moment in someone’s life, such as a birthday, a move or a hard week, and opened right then. A set of them is a classic gift for long-distance couples, friends and children growing up.

How many letters should I write?

Most sets have between 6 and 20. Start with the dates you know, add a few likely moments and stop while it still feels personal.

Can I schedule each letter for its own date?

Yes. On timedrop.it each letter is its own capsule with its own delivery date, from tomorrow up to ten years ahead. The recipient gets each one by email on its day.

Can I add photos or a voice message?

Yes: up to four photos and a voice note per letter, encrypted in your browser before upload.

How much does a set cost?

A free account includes two letters a year and extra letters are $3 each, so a set of ten costs $24 in the first year.

Write the first one now

Start with the date you know best. A free account includes two letters a year.

Write the first letter →
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