Open When Letter Topics & Ideas….with Examples!

Set of Open When Letters for a deployed service member
11 Open When Letters: Themes and Ideas | Finding Mandee
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Circa 2007, open when letters were made wildly popular when Gerard Butler left them for his grieving wife in the movie ‘P.S. I Love You’. Since then, long-distance girlfriends and military spouses have been sending these adorable letters all over the globe.

cover of PS I Love You movie

What Are Open When Letters?

Open when letters are a gift to a loved one that has specific instructions on when to open them.

They can be used to celebrate special anniversaries, holidays, and events or to encourage, cheer, and reassure your long-distance loved one during your time apart.

They are especially useful for people who can’t receive mail regularly, such as service members on submarines or in remote locations.

Open when letters can be as simple or elaborate as you like and there are many different themes/types that you can make. You can include gifts, jokes, and pictures or just the letters by themselves. There are a bazillion ways to make each letter unique.

It’s hard to even know where to start.

I made these letters for my husband while he was overseas as part of my Deployment Bucket List.

Below are pictures of the Open When Letters I sent my husband and a list of all the things I put in them.

Open It Now

open when letter ideas: open it now

This letter is a must!

It explains the ‘rules’ of the letters and gives instructions on when to open them. It should be opened first.

Open When You’re Sick

open when letter: open when you are sick

This letter was kind of like a mini care package for a sick day.

It’s hard not being there for your loved one when they are sick, but this is the closest thing you can do to take care of them from far away.

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Open When I’m Mad at You

open when letters: open when I'm mad at you

If you’re in a long-distance relationship (or any relationship), you are inevitably going to argue.

This letter can serve as a reminder that even though you’re angry now, there is so much more love to be shared in the future.

  • long letter
  • pictures of us together
  • marriage/relationship quotes
  • sweet meme

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Open When You’re Stressed

open when letters: open when you are stressed

Living away from family and friends is hard. Add in the strain of a job, school, or combat, and stress levels rise exponentially.

This letter is a reminder that this, too, shall pass. On the backs of the pictures, I tried to put relevant or funny captions.

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Open When You Need a Confidence Boost

open when letters: open when you need confidence boost

Some days you just aren’t ‘feeling yourself’, which is where this letter comes in.

It’s a great way to remind your loved one of all of their best qualities. The little book ‘Why You’re So Awesome’ was probably my husband’s favorite thing in all of the letters. I filled in some of the answers myself, but I let the kids answer most of them, which made it quite comical.

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Open When You Are Sad

open when letters: open when you are sad

Being sad is unavoidable when you’re away from the people you love.

This letter is an excellent opportunity to cheer up your loved one by reminding them of all your inside jokes and fun times.

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Open When You Are REALLY Bored

open when letters: open when you are really bored

Boredom is the worst when you’re away from family and friends.

It’s a terrible reminder of how lonely you are. This letter is a chance to try something new and maybe learn a little bit about each other while you’re at it.

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Open When You Miss Me

open when letters: open when you miss me

Missing your loved one sucks, but it sucks even more to know that they are missing you and there’s nothing you can do about it.

This letter is a good way to remind your loved one of just how much you love them and miss them too.

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Open When You Miss the Kids

Being away from your children and missing out on part of their lives is heart-breaking.

These letters (I did one for each kid) are an uplifting way to remind your loved one that their children haven’t forgotten about them and they are missing their daddy/mommy too.

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Open When You’re Jealous of Jody

open when letters: open when you are jealous of Jody

Only military couples will understand the title of this letter, but it’s basically a letter for when your significant other is afraid that you will leave them for someone else while they are gone.

This letter is a perfect opportunity to reassure your loved one that they are the only one for you.

  • inappropriate, but funny memes
  • pictures of us together
  • reassuring card/letter

Open When You Have Doubts

open when letters: open when you have doubts

Doubting ourselves is unavoidable, especially when we’re under pressure.

This letter can serve as a reminder of all of your loved one’s admirable qualities and serve as encouragement for whatever stressful situation they are facing.

  • encouraging card/letter
  • sweet quote/song lyric
  • picture with funny caption

Open When Time Has Slowed Down

open when letters: open when time has slowed down

During a deployment, time will slow to an absolute crawl.

This letter reminds your loved one that this season of their life WILL eventually end and they WILL be home again.

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I sent these open when letters to my husband as one of his monthly care packages while he was gone. (You can see all of the care packages I sent him here!)

I hope these ideas inspire you to get started on your own open when letters.

They are a lot of work, but I’m sure that your loved one will enjoy them as much as my husband did!