How can we make the people closest to our hearts feel birthday special when they're miles away? Here are experiences and ideas our Hallmark friends have shared with us. Long Distance Calling "I turned nineteen while I was away at university and it was the first birthday my Mum and I had spent apart since, well, since my actual birth day. I was miserable! I needed my Mum to make my special day...special. She and I came up with ideas uniquely our own to bridge the distance. For instance, my mother calls me at the exact time of my birth, 6:04 a.m. EST (no matter what time zone I'm in), and sings "Happy Birthday" off-key at the top of her lungs. As silly as it sounds, it makes my birthday complete."

Out on the Town
What about an evening out on the town for that birthday someone? Pick up a gift voucher to a favorite restaurant and let them splurge on a special meal. If you provide enough for a group, have the friends be responsible for making it a jump-up-and-yell-SURPRISE occasion.

Share a Cup of Coffee
When Deirdre, a coffee connoisseur, was about to turn 30, her husband, Kent, had to go to Hong Kong for a business trip and would be gone on her birthday. Before he left, he sent her a parcel by "snail mail," so that it would arrive a few days before the big day. He attached a note that said not to open the package until she'd received further instructions by e-mail.

That e-mail came the morning of her birthday. Happy Birthday, it read. Please follow instructions carefully! Don't skip ahead!

Open your package! She opened the package. Inside, she found a pound of her favorite gourmet coffee and a beautiful ceramic mug that Kent had made for her himself.
Go make yourself a pot of coffee. I'll wait. She did.
Pour yourself a cup—2 sugars, no cream, just the way you like it.

Now let's have a cup of coffee together on your birthday. I love you and no matter where I am, our hearts are always close.

Virtual Party For those families with the technical ability, set up a "virtual" party online. Organize a chat room and put the creative minds of family and friends to work making up games that all the online party people can "play" by responding in the chat room. You can still send the party hat and birthday treats for the party boy or girl to enjoy while chatting electronically. A virtual party online can be the next best thing to being there. Mail a Few Memories Aisha lived in Melbourne, but her two sisters, Lakie and Nia, lived in Perth. They talked by phone and sent e-mails everyday. Aisha told her sisters she'd just joined a gym and walked up to an hour on the treadmill. She also mentioned it was a little boring, walking to nowhere. So, for Aisha's birthday, Lakie and Nia burned a CD of all their favorite childhood songs—everything from "The Wheels on the Bus Go 'Round and 'Round" to "We Are Family." Now, when Aisha goes to the gym, she doesn't just work out; she takes a walk down Memory Lane!

Pack a Party in a Box
Tom is based in East Timor. He often mentioned in his letters that although he was doing well, he really missed his parents, brothers and sister back in Brisbane.

When his birthday arrived, Tom opened a box with a party packed inside! Though he was miles away, his mother had gathered the family for Tom's special dinner. There was a huge scrapbook filled with pictures and anecdotes from Tom's childhood. Tom paged through the photos: his brothers gathered around the table enjoying his favorite Mexican dishes—chiles rellenos, carne asada, and chicken mole; his little sister smashing a pinata; his aunts and uncles dancing; his Mum and dad blowing out the birthday candles atop a huge cake with "Happy Birthday, Tom!" written on it.

Tom paused at the last picture; it was a snapshot of his entire family, and underneath it was written, "Our birthday wish for you is that you know how happy and proud you have made each one of us. P.S. Check the bottom of the box!" There, his mother had carefully packed his favorite dessert, buñuelos. And she'd attached a little note: "Don't get the powdered sugar all over yourself, mi hijo! Love, Mum"

Birthday Valet
You can make your birthday person the envy of all with a "personal attendant" for a day. Some cleaning services will contract to do whatever cleaning or errand jobs a client specifies. How about a maid for a day to clean, do the laundry, wash the car, and organize those long-neglected spaces.

And by the way, you're visiting the right place. We help people celebrate long-distance birthdays with free e-cards, along that can be sent straight to the birthday girl or boy!

The real key to celebrating birthdays across the miles is letting the birthday person know how important they are to you. You needn't do anything extravagant; simply do something tailor-made for them. Remind them that no matter where they are, they are always, always in your heart.