Birthdays are for celebrating -- with parties, treats, favors and surprises. And a perfect way to surprise someone on his special day is by announcing his birthday in the newspaper. While some papers require that you use a specific template to make a birthday announcement, others allow for creativity, so you can come up with your own unique words and format.
Birthday Announcements for Kids
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Contact your local newspaper and follow its directions on how to place a birthday announcement. Young children typically love to see their names in print. You can use the child's first name -- while you might want to omit her last name for safety reasons -- nickname or silly pet name in the announcement. Since kids also love to rhyme, the birthday child would likely appreciate a personalized poem. You could write something like, "Happy birthday to the girl with green eyes. Some call her Liza but we call her Lize. Turning 6 and getting so tall, we love you so much we thought we'd tell all."
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Announcements for Teens
Before placing the announcement for a teen know his personality. Teen years can be tough years, so you might want to play it safe, depending on the child. Some teenagers would enjoy a personalized poem filled with goofy information, while other kids would much prefer a simple birthday wish such as, "Happy 15th birthday, J.T. Love, Mom and Dad." Of course, as most teens do not thoroughly read through the paper, you'll likely have to point it out. Even if your teen doesn't say much, he's likely to quietly appreciate the public recognition of his special day.
Announcements for Adults
For an adult's birthday, you might want to place several ads in several local papers, stating the birthday person's full name, age and a simple birthday wish. For example, you might write, "Happy 35th Birthday, Jane. Hope this is the best year ever. Love, BT." Or, you might want to leave out her age or give her a younger age in quotes if you know that she wouldn't want her real age announced in a newspaper. Another idea for a fun, birthday announcement for an adult is to list her weight and length at the time of birth and the hospital where she was born.
Proof, Proof and Proof Again
If you're creating the announcement online, before you hit "Send," be sure to proof it thoroughly. Make sure the initials and names are in the right spots, and that the dates and ages are what you want. Your public birthday announcement should grab the reader's attention because of the celebration factor, not because there's a spelling error or wrong birth date.