Open When Letter Topics – Ideas for girlfriends, boyfriends, best friends, husbands and wives. If you haven’t heard, Open when letters are a bit of a viral phenomenon among the LDR community. Parents are sending them to far away college students, husbands send them to wives, girlfriends to boyfriends and a huge chunk of many other types of long distance couples are using them as a way to be there for that special someone despite being so far apart.
If you’re looking for a sweet, heartfelt and very sentimental gift that you can make and give with a small amount of hassle and money – Open When letters are your best bet!
The hard part about open when letters is mostly picking the topics you’d like your letters to center around. Of course the topics you pick should be relevant for your relationship, but that doesn’t mean you cant cheat a little! We’ve scoured the internet for topics in preparation of making our own Open When letters and surprisingly, we found over 100 of them!
This is probably not a complete list of ideas by any stretch, but if you’re having some trouble getting started on your letters at least these will give you a jump start into the actual writing process without having to do a lot of searching. All the ideas are now in one place.
Open When Letter Topics…
| 1. You first receive these letters. |
| 2. You’re missing me a little. |
| 3. You’re missing me a lot. |
| 4. You need someone to talk to and I’m not picking up. |
| 5. We haven’t talked in a while. |
| 6. You feel lonely. |
| 7. You’re feeling sad. |
| 8. You feel like crying. |
| 9. You are crying. |
| 10. You’re stressed out. |
| 11. You’ve had a bad day. |
| 12. You need a hug. |
| 13. You need some love. |
| 14. You need to know how much I love you. |
| 15. You need to know someone cares. |
| 16. You need motivation. |
| 17. You need a pick me up. |
| 18. You’re doubting yourself. |
| 19. You feel out of place. |
| 20. You feel like giving up. |
| 21. It all feels like too much. |
| 22. You need reassurance. |
| 23. You are feeling insecure. |
| 24. You can’t sleep. |
| 25. The distance is too much. |
| 26. You feel like we need to break up. |
| 27. You want to give up on us. |
| 28. You’re not so sure about us. |
| 29. You’re worried about future. |
| 30. You feel like you’re overthinking. |
| 31. You feel like I don’t trust you. |
| 32. You want to know more about me. |
| 33. We are fighting. |
| 34. I am making things worse. |
| 35. I do something stupid. |
| 36. We fight and it’s your fault |
| 37. We fight and it’s my fault |
| 38. I’m being moody annoying stubborn or all of the above. |
| 39. You’re mad at me. |
| 40. You’re feeling sick. |
| 41. You’re feeling hopeful about the future. |
| 42. We’re finally married. |
| 43. We have our first child. |
| 44. You want to buy me a gift but don’t know what to get. |
| 45. You want me to buy you a gift. |
| 46. You’re angry at the world. |
| 47. You need a push. |
| 48. You’re disappointed in yourself. |
| 49. You’re just a little grumpy. |
| 50. It’s that time of the month. |
| 51. You don’t feel confident. |
| 52. You’re feeling embarrassed. |
| 53. You’re nervous. |
| 54. You get a bad grade on something important. |
| 55. It is the day before you get to see me again! |
| 56. You’re on the plane going home. |
| 57. You’re thinking of popping the question. |
| 58. We move into our first house together. |
| 59. You want to listen to songs that remind me of you. |
Want Some more ideas?
Check out our larger, categorized Guide of Open When Ideas. Includes ideas for best friend letters, Mother-daughter letters, wedding day letters and more!
37 comments
Thanks for letting us know. You’ve still 100 other ideas to use so it shouldn’t be TOO much of an inconvenience. 🙂
I wish I had seen this post a few months ago, I made 50 open when letters for my boyfriend for Christmas but I was having a hard time finding topics! I will keep these in mind for later! Thanks! 🙂
How did you know what to writte in all of them? I keep stoping because I don’t know what should I say…
Don’t think about it. It can be silly or sound stupid. It doesn’t have to be perfect. You want the person to smile or laugh at whatever you say and for them to just even have something simply in a letter from you already makes them smile. So just be you and put whatever comes to the top of your head. Got nothing? Put a smiley face and just say call me and talk to me. That’s all they need.
Lisa Foster thank you so much. this helped me so damn much. i’m doing something like this for my best friend and i’m always afraid it may sound stupid. but you made me think about this less. thank you
What could I put in the letter, “open when.. You’re done with your first day”
( it’s for college)
Hi, Jenna! I’m putting together some “open when” letters for my college-going partner. My “open on your first day” (a little different I guess) envelope contains a note explaining the pile of envelopes, a note reminding him I simply must hear about his first day, a couple of quotes I wrote on colored card stock, and Kate Leth’s comic about how to be a badass. Basically a heartfelt personal note and a couple of kinda silly, encouraging things. I hope that helps you come up with your own ideas!
Thanks for sharing! those are awesome suggestions!
Open when… jealous.
Hi.I want to make this for my best friend,but i dont know what could I put in this actually .What i could write in this? Please help me ,i have to make this until January. (if you know what i mean, i have bad english )
I picked the ones that weren’t as much the girlfriend/boyfriend feel. So like you need a pick me up, you’ve had a bad day, you can’t sleep, you want to listen for a song that makes me think about you. The ones that were more brotherly sisterly.
Hello. I love all of the topics but I need advice on what to do…. I am a horrible writer and often find it hard to get started. I am making these for my girlfriend (We’re in high school… She is a senior and I am a junior) for Christmas. Thank you for any help.
Hello! I just wanted to say thanks for compiling all of these ideas, I never would have thought up all of these. I’m making a second set of “Open When…” cards for my boyfriend and was running out of ideas. This is a great website!!! Thanks again!! 🙂
How much do u write n the letters how do u start them off? I want to do it but not sure where to start once i have my topics?
Hi Tami!
You can find our ideas for what to put inside your open when letters in our post here it should start you off on the right track! 🙂
It was really helpful. Thank you =)
You could do things like when you are excited, accomplished something big, hurt, worried, having a bad day, doing something that is worth a lot to others, donating something special and a mystery letter
All of these worked great especially they mystery one all of my friends loved it
The mystery letter is a GREAT idea! thanks for sharing that with us!
They are great thanks!!
Like do I have to put things in it like I thought maybe just a simple latter
I’m making them for my sister who will be going to college. I’ve only been writing them today and I have gotten two done so far. The first letter is for finals week and I included a pass for watching an episode of whatever show she wanted, two dollars for ice cream, and a list of songs to study to. Along with making the list of songs I also turned it into a playlist on Spotify and YouTube for convenience. The other letter is for when she gets homesick. For that I included pictures of my family, the two of us, and other things that she likes. I’ve been typing everything mainly because I don’t have very neat handwriting and both letters were nearly a full page, maybe about 3/4. The rest of the space on the letter was filled by pictures and clipart of things that she either likes or stuff that would apply to the letter.
I made a whole bunch of open when letters before my boyfriend left for a trip a few weeks ago, he’s coming back late at night so I won’t see him then and I want to make another open when letter to leave on his bed – “open when you get back” but I’m not sure what to put in it. Any ideas?
Thank you for this! I’m doing this for my best friend’s birthday and I only have about a month left to complete it. I started and have 2 cards done but I couldn’t think of anything else so thank you!
Thanks this has really helped me this is a really great website i will deffinateley recommend it to all my friends who want to make ‘open when’ cards to people like their girlfriends, friends, far away family members and other people close to them, once again thanks a lot!!!
you should do one about when something good happens and write advice for it.
[…] them. Jo at Jo My Gosh! gives ideas for Open When letters for those deployed in the military. Long Distance Relationship Magazine gives over 500 ideas for Open When letters. You don’t have to be separated from your loved one […]
When is a good time in the relationship to make these for my boyfriend? (? Months, year?)
Hey Brianne,
6 months is a good safe time period to make these for someone. They’re really really sweet and personal but may be a bit too much if your relationship is on the new side (unless you were friends before or something) Hope that helps!
hey, i am making a card for my best friend but i don’t know what to write in her card for Christmas.. i have wrote a little quote in her ‘open when’ but i am stuck on ideas for what else to put in there.. ANY IDEAS ??
Is there an open when list for grandma’s to grandchildren? Or how about fathers separated from their children? (Divorce)
Love the ideas!
Thank you!
Hi Linda,
You can find a list of open when ideas for grandparent and fathers along with several other people and life events in our list of 500+ open when letter ideas here: http://www.ldrmagazine.com/blog/2014/08/21/ultimate-list-500-open-letter-ideas/
I’m in such an odd ‘relationship’. My not-yet-boyfriend is in Bible College and discouraged from starting a new relationship until he finishes the year (only 4 weeks to go!). Problem is…the day he finishes he heads back to his home country for almost 2 months. We’re pretty much already a couple, just not officially haha.
Anyway, neither of us are really looking forward to him going away so I decided to make him a box of ‘open when’ cards. I had been wondering if it were too soon, considering we’re not really a proper couple yet….but then he said he was making me something for when he goes away….and I saw he liked a jar of notes to open everyday on pinterest so I’m suspecting that he’s making me a jar. Made me feel better about making him open when notes! He really is the sweetest, most thoughtful guy I’ve ever met so I want to repay him the favor!
Thanks for the ideas!
Aww, Mei this is too sweet! You two sound like you make an adorable couple. Totally love when we hear couples swapping heartfelt gifts! Thanks so much for stopping by!
i want to do some of these for a missionary that has already left! i sent him a couple before he left but he keeps saying he wants more! i need good ideas and things to put inside!
I need to leave open when letters for my husband to open once i have passed away. Have you got any ideas, tips or advice or help. Thanks
Those are pretty cool. I have been looking for ideas to write “open when” letters and found this.
Thanks for sharing! BTW I like 38 very much!
Nice