Most Christmas presents are opened in a minute and forgotten by February. This one is still arriving in November. You write twelve letters in one sitting, one for each month of the year, and send a single link. At midnight on the 1st of every month, in their time zone, the next letter opens. None of them can be opened early, and the ones already open stay there to re-read. Give it at Christmas and the first letter is waiting for them on New Year's Day. Below is an idea for every month, January to December.
It's a Christmas gift with nothing to ship, so it can't arrive late. Write it on any evening in December, even Christmas Eve, and hand it over on the day: a card with the link inside, or just the link. The first letter opens on January 1. By the time the tree comes down, the gift has only just started.
It was made for people a year can come between. A long-distance partner who will spend more of the year on a screen than next to you. Someone on deployment, where a letter on the 1st is something to count toward. New parents, who won't remember most of this year and could use one thing a month that's just for them. A best friend who moved away. A kid in their first year of college, with a letter from home at the start of every month, including the months they forget to call.
Each letter works best when it belongs to its month. January is long and grey and needs a reason. February is for love. June is halfway and a good time to say you're proud of them. December looks back. Short is fine. A paragraph that could only be about them beats a page that could be about anyone.
The twelve ideas below are one per month, in order. Use them as they are or rewrite them with your own names, places and jokes. That's the part they'll keep.
What to Put in the Jar
Ready to use as-is, or rewrite in your own voice. Keep the ones that sound like you.
- 01January: a reason this year is worth it, for the month that feels longest
- 02February: the small thing about them you'd fall for all over again
- 03March: a memory of yours that still makes you smile, told in detail
- 04April: one thing you want to do together this year, with a rough date
- 05May: something they do that they have no idea you notice
- 06June: halfway. What you're proud of them for so far
- 07July: a song that belongs to the two of you, and why it's that one
- 08August: where you'd take them this summer if you could go anywhere
- 09September: something you believe they can do, before they believe it
- 10October: a moment of yours you would live again, exactly as it was
- 11November: what feels like home about them
- 12December: what you hoped this year would be, to read now that it's nearly over
How to Make It Land
Do
- Write all twelve in one sitting so the voice stays the same
- Give each letter its month: a reason in January, love in February, a look back in December
- Set their time zone so each letter opens at their midnight, not yours
- Put a plan or two in the middle months, so the year has things to look forward to
- Give it at Christmas with the link in a card. The first letter waits for New Year's Day
- Short is fine. One paragraph that is clearly about them is a whole letter
Avoid
- Saying everything in January and running out of things to say by summer
- Twelve versions of "I love you" with nothing specific in them
- Promises you might not keep. A letter that opens in August will hold you to it
- News or plans that could change before the month it opens
- Copying the ideas word for word without your names, places and jokes
How the Jar Works
Fill it
Add your notes — up to 100. Switch any slip to a full letter when you have more to say.
Choose the rhythm
One a day, one a week, or all at once. Dripped notes stay sealed until their moment.
Share one link
Send the jar link. Every note they unwrap stays theirs to re-read forever.
Frequently Asked Questions
When should I give it?
At Christmas. There's nothing to ship, so you can write it any time in December, even on Christmas Eve. Send the link with their present or write it in a card, and tell them the first letter opens on January 1. Until then every letter stays sealed.
How do the letters open?
One opens at midnight on the 1st of each month in their time zone, from January to December. None can be opened early. Once a letter has opened it stays open, so they can go back and re-read any of them.
Can I start it later in the year?
Yes. When you create it you choose the date the first letter opens, and the rest follow a month apart. Start on March 1 and the twelfth letter opens the following February. If you make it in January, the first letter opens straight away.
What if they miss a month?
Nothing is lost. Once a letter's date has passed it stays open, so if April slips by they can read it in May next to May's.
Does it work for a long-distance relationship?
Yes. Set the time zone they live in and each letter opens at midnight their time, not yours. You send one link by WhatsApp, Messenger, email or text. It opens on any phone, with no app and no account.
How much does it cost?
Up to 7 letters are free, which covers January to July. All 12 need the Full Jar upgrade, a one-time $3.99. There's no subscription, and the person opening the letters never pays anything.
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