A gift for someone far away
Digital open-when letters for long distance
A letter with a moment written on the envelope, and it stays shut until that moment comes. Here’s what to write, and how to seal them so they open when they should.
What they are
A stack of envelopes, each waiting for its moment.
You write them ahead of time, the way you’d tuck a note into a suitcase. The other person reads each one only when its moment arrives. A single message says what you feel today; a stack of letters is there on the day you can’t be. In Two Lights they fly across your sky, wait closed on their Today, and are kept afterwards on your Journey.
Eighteen to start with
Open when… and then the moment.
Pick the ones that sound like the two of you, and make up your own. Short is fine.
- open when you land
- open when you wake up in a different time zone
- open when the apartment is too quiet
- open when it still doesn’t feel like home
- open when you can’t sleep
- open when you miss me more than usual
Show all 18
For the hard hours
- open when you’ve had a terrible day
- open when you’re nervous about tomorrow
- open when you’re ill and I can’t bring soup
For the good days
- open when you need to laugh
- open when you’ve had good news
- open when you’ve forgotten why we’re doing this
- open when you want to know what I love about you
For the days that matter
- open when it’s our anniversary
- open when it’s your birthday
- open when it’s been a long month
For the way home
- open when the ticket is booked
- open when we’re home
One specific memory beats a page of general feeling. Name what happened, say where you were when you wrote it, and put in the small things only they would know: the street, the joke, the song that was playing.
How sealing works
Write it, press the wax.
Write is one of five things to leave. Sent now, it folds into a paper plane. Kept for later, it’s sealed in a letter, and you choose the seal.
When home
Opens on its own on the day you’ve set for coming home. If the plans move later, the letter waits for the new day. If they move sooner, a letter already sealed doesn’t open earlier, so use “I’ll reveal” for the ones that must be there on arrival.
I’ll reveal
Stays closed until you open it. This is the one for “open when you land” and “open when it’s our anniversary”: you know when the moment has come, so you decide.
That’s a small difference from the paper kind, where the reader decides. Here the letter arrives at the right moment because you were the one who knew it was. It flies from your city to theirs over the real sky above each of you, with no shipping, no customs fees and nothing that arrives late.
Giving it as a gift
Start it before they go. Give it when you’re ready.
Join the waitlist
Your two cities and an email. Tick “It’s a gift for my partner”.
We set up your sky
By hand, a few couples at a time, and we send you a personal link.
Start it
Write the first letters, seal them, leave a photo or a song beside them.
Send their link
When you’re ready to give it. They don’t need to do anything before then.
Free during early access. Everything you leave is private to the two of you: no feed, nothing public.
Questions
Can they open a letter early?
No. A letter sealed “When home” stays closed until the return date you’ve set (or later, if that date moves later), and one sealed “I’ll reveal” stays closed until you open it. They can see that a letter is waiting on their Today, but not what it says.
Which seal should I use?
“When home” suits the letter for the day you’re together, since it opens on its own once the return date you’ve set has passed. “I’ll reveal” suits every other open-when letter: you know when they’ve landed or when it’s their birthday, so you open it then.
Does it cost anything?
Nothing while we build it with the first couples. There’s nothing to ship either, so no postage and no customs fees.
More questions
Does my partner need to install anything?
No. They sign in from the link you send, with their email by a link or a six-digit code. It works in the browser on iPhone and Android, and can be added to the Home Screen.
Can I write the letters before I give it?
Yes. Tick “It’s a gift for my partner” when you join the waitlist, and your sky is set up for giving: you start it, write what you like, and send their link when you’re ready to give it.
Start the letters before they leave.
Two cities and an email, and tick the gift box if it’s for your person. We’ll set up your sky by hand and send you a link to start it.