The same one.
Back and forth, back and forth, and back and forth since 1977. It may be the longest volley in Hallmark history.
And on Sunday, for the first time, the card was hand-delivered when Beth Ditmyer and her husband, Joe, drive from Middletown to Aylett, Va., to surprise her brother, Hoyt Wheeland, on his 75th birthday.
Over the years, the card — now covered with yellow sticky notes because there is no room to write — has been lost only once when Wheeland moved and couldn’t remember where he packed it away. Meanwhile, his sister has kept the card in the cupboard, right there next to the aspirin bottle.
“That way,” she said, “I can always see it.”
And Wheeland has the easier job. Because Ditmyer’s birthday is on Jan. 16, he’s in charge of the card for only one month, while it’s her responsibilty the rest of the year.
This card tradition began after Ditmyer bought a Hallmark in 1977 that read: “Happy Birthday to a good-looking relative.” And on the inside: “Save this card. You can send it to me on my birthday.”
If everyone was like these siblings, the author of that card would be out of a job. Over the years, they have saved hundreds of dollars on birthday cards.
After that first year, they wrote short notes to each other. They were texting with pens before there were computers. They teased each other about their age, especially at every milestone birthday. But Ditmyer, 67, always has the perfect comeback, the "Happy Birthday from your younger sister" line.
When the exchange was born, the Ditmyers had two children, Gretchen and Andy, and Beth was pregnant with their youngest child Sarah. Since then, they have added seven grandchildren.
“A lot has happened,” she said with a smile.
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