Birthdays are special occasions for everyone, but sometimes the icing on the cake –no pun intended–is the plethora of wishes and compliments that you receive during such an occasion.
But these messages may seem overwhelming, especially when you must reply to every single one. Also, you don’t want to sound drab and automated when responding to these messages from families and loved ones.
So one question remains –how do you respond to wishes and compliments on your birthday? In this article, we shall look at various creative and exciting ways you can use to respond to birthday wishes and compliments.
How to Respond to Happy Birthday Wishes
Here are the different ways to respond to birthday wishes:
- “Thank You”
A simple “thank you” may suffice for people you are not familiar with. This polite and succinct reply may just do the trick in some circumstances. This reply may also come in handy when dealing with older adults to avoid awkward situations that may water down the essence of the occasion.
- “Please Don’t”
For some, birthdays are just another day to see through. For some, it symbolises how old they grow by the day or may even remind the celebrant(s) of an unpleasant event. Therefore, if you are having a rough day on your birthday or are “not just feeling it,” a simple yet polite way of dismissing these wishes may be: “please don’t.”
This way, you do not come off as rude or eventually end up making the well-wisher regret wishing you on what is meant to be a joyous occasion.
- “Am I Dead Yet?”
For some celebrants, birthdays cause growing anxieties about ageing. One creative way of downplaying these days is to use the “deadpan response.” However, you may want to be cautious in using such a response. Instead, you may wish to use these responses among close friends who enjoy a good bout of dark humour.
- “Another Year Older”
This phrase simply signifies celebrating the experience you have garnered in the past year. For teenagers and children, this hints at the chance to experience adulthood. For adults, on the contrary, this may come with dread at the thought of ageing every day. Nevertheless, it remains a viable response to birthday wishes.
- “Time For Cake”
Using this response to your many birthday wishers helps you to focus on the brighter side of birthdays. For those that usually dread birthdays, this response may aid in eliciting sparks of excitement. It also helps to avoid further conversations during such occasions.
- “Are You Sure?”
Another fun way to respond to birthday wishes is to leave the well-wishers second-guessing your birthday. This is a fun way to prank your friends and loved ones. However, it should remain within the confines of such people, as pulling such a prank on your parents and other elderly members may not produce the desired effect.
- “How Did You Know?”
This response may work for those that may be mere acquaintances. People that may fall under this category include co-workers, an employer, or even a new friend. Asking them such is also a great way to start a healthy conversation with such a person, which will help to develop a more meaningful connection with such a person. It also shows that such a person took a great deal of time to make your birthday memorable.
- “You Really Shouldn’t Have”
This response can either be employed as an authentic or sarcastic response. As a genuine response, it shows how appreciative you are for such people to have taken time out of their busy schedules to celebrate with you.
On the other hand, it may serve as a cheeky response for a celebrant that is not too enthusiastic about celebrating such occasions. However, in this context, it should be used for a specific group, such as friends or families. Responding to acquaintances in this manner may not be well-received.
- “Thanks For Remembering”
You can specifically thank such people for remembering your birthday, especially as everyone seems engrossed in their busy schedules. Sometimes, people just forget your birthday for one reason or the other. Nevertheless, when you are remembered and celebrated, it is always polite to appreciate their efforts. This response is also optimal for parents, loved ones, friends, and well-wishers.
- “It’s Not My Birthday”
Another fun and creative way to prank your loved ones is to tell them they got your birthday wrong. You can enjoy watching your friends and loved ones panic as they rack their brains in hopes of figuring out your real birth date. However, remember to ease them out of their worries by reassuring them that they got your birth date right. This harmless response will work for friends, families, and loved ones.
- “Thanks, Its Nice To Have Great Friends.”
Using this phrase as a response to wishes on your birthday will create that feeling of uniqueness in your friends and loved ones. Therefore, whenever your loved ones celebrate and wish you a happy birthday, you can thank them for being great friends, especially knowing that not everyone has people that will go the extra mile to celebrate their loved ones. Finally, this response will foster more profound and meaningful connections among friends.
- “I Appreciate Your Wishes”
Sometimes, receiving birthday wishes from a co-worker whom you don’t have a rapport with may be awkward. It is best to keep the conversation cordial and polite in such situations. Therefore, saying “I appreciate your wishes” is an excellent way of letting things remain civil. You can also respond to your friends and families with this birthday response, as it generally suits everyone.
- “Another Year Already?”
Birthdays mark how the years quickly fly past. Therefore, such occasions cause some people to enter a state of reflection. This response usually allows the individual to reflect on past events that may have transpired in the last year and proffer steps to ensure the new year turns out better. Finally, such a response is kept to yourself.
- “I’m Lucky To Have You”
Telling someone how lucky you are to have them as a friend or family is another terrific response to anyone wishing you a happy birthday. Speaking matter-of-factly, you would be a lone ranger without these people in your life. Therefore, there is no harm in telling someone how lucky you are to have them.
- “Thank you, I Love You.”
This phrase works best for parents, spouses, lovers and even children. However, if such phrases are not uncommon within your friendship with someone or a group of people, they may serve as an all-round response for you.
- “I Have Learned A Lot This Past Year”
When someone wishes you a happy birthday, you might reply by stating how much you may have learnt in the past year. This response usually leads to a conversation and helps you initiate a healthy dialogue between you and the well-wisher —be it your family, friend, lover, spouse or even your co-worker.
- “What A Wild Year It Has Been”
Another variant of the initial response, this response leaves a hint at the dramatic turn of events you may have experienced in the past year. This also aids in forming a conversation about how good or bad the past year has been for you. Whether you want to kick off such a conversation with a family, loved one, spouse or acquaintance, this response is a must-have in your arsenal of wishes.
- “I Feel Even Wiser”
Experience is the best teacher, people say. Therefore, on such a day, it may be apt to look back on the events you went through and how they may have shaped your perspective on specific issues. This response may also be used sarcastically, indicating that you may not have made the wisest decisions in the past year.
- “I Feel Dumber”
On the other hand, you may feel that you learned nothing in the past year. Inevitable mistakes may have been made, but you feel the intricate lessons that accompanied those mistakes were lost on you. “I feel dumber” may be an apt response in these circumstances.
On the flip side, you may employ this response sarcastically. But, no matter the intention behind this response, it is a great way to start a conversation with such a well-wisher.
- “Thanks, I Tried Hard To Make My Birthday Come Sooner.”
Another great way to prank your friends and loved ones is by using this phrase. Such a response may lighten up the mood. But, of course, the joke is that you can’t speed up your birthday.
- “Just So You Know, I’m Still 21.”
Staying forever 21 is the goal —well, for most people. Therefore, one great way of responding to birthday wishes is to remind the well-wisher that you are not as old as they say you are. This can be a yearly joke. For your friends that get you, they can decorate your birthday cake with 21 candles for the humour of it. This can be used for any well-wisher.
- “What Did You Get Me?”
A hallmark of birthdays is the gifts received on such days. However, the older you get, the lower of chances of receiving gifts. That’s where you can employ this phrase. However, this phrase should be employed cautiously and mainly used among friends, families and loved ones.
- “Thanks, I Had An Amazing Day.”
One creative way of responding to birthday wishes is thanking your well-wishers and detailing your day. However, if you wish to avoid details, this phrase still suffices. This also grants you the power to decide whether to go into full details of the day or give out as little information as possible. Being a casual response, you may employ it when thanking co-workers and acquaintances.
- “Thanks, I Spent Some Quality Time With My Family.”
After receiving wishes from someone on your birthday, you may discuss how your day went. In this light, you may want to tell such a well-wisher how you spent quality time with your family. Although, this should be based on how familiar you are with such a person. It can be used when responding to co-workers and acquaintances.
- “Thanks, I Had A Quiet Birthday This Year.”
The final variation of the above response details how your day went quietly. Having time to reflect properly and re-calibrate yourself to achieve your goals and dreams may be all you need. It helps you to plan for the year ahead. Additionally, it’s a great response to deflect any unnecessary questions about your day or if you are uncomfortable talking about your personal itinerary to such a well-wisher. In any case, it is a great way to respond to well-wishers.
- “Next Year Is Going To Be Even Bigger.”
This is a hopeful response in situations that allows you to anticipate your birthday. Sometimes, birthdays are not always “gloom and doom.” You can always be optimistic for the coming year. This response implies how ready you are for the challenges ahead and how willing you are to overcome such challenges.
- “Your Message Made Me Smile.”
Most birthday messages come through emails, social media platforms or even text. Therefore, responding with phrases such as “your message made me smile” will inform your well-wishers of how much their messages mean to you. Finally, this response can be used for anyone –whether such a well-wisher is a co-worker, acquaintance or loved one.
- “You Made My Day.”
Undoubtedly, messages from certain people will lift your spirit throughout your birthday. Therefore, responding to such well-wishes with phrases like “you made my day” is the perfect way of describing a perfect day.
Conclusion
It is ok to feel overwhelmed whenever birthday messages come pouring in. However, there are many creative ways of responding to such messages.
The above samples may be used during such occasions, allowing for more profound and meaningful connections among families, friends, and casual acquaintances.
Therefore, responding to birthday responses creatively may transform replying to these messages from being a duty to another way to express your feelings to your friends and families.
