Woman flips a long-loved birthday tradition on its head — and now everyone is convinced it’s the right way

In a world where human connections have grown flimsy with time, finding people who only wish good on you is beyond a blessing. If you have been lucky enough to find them already, then you must not miss a chance to tell them what they mean to you. To incorporate this philosophy into her life, Abbey Villalobos — a thrift enthusiast and mom of two — shared a video on her birthday, celebrating a new tradition she and her family had recently implemented.

To help expression and love flow better in her house, each member of Abbey's family lights a candle and places it on the birthday cake, turn by turn, while mumbling prayers and wishes for the birthday girl. The emotional video features her parents, husband, kids, sisters, and more — all of them sharing what's in their hearts, telling her “I love you.” Her dad says, “Hi honey, I wish you all sorts of happiness, may God continue to bless you and your daddy loves you,” while her mom gushes, “Oh my sweet Abbey… I love you so much, I’m so proud of you. I wish you nothing but happiness, love, [and] tons of memories." This kind of arrangement would make any grown-up cry.

Her husband’s sweet wish, while holding their son, was perhaps the most specific: “Hi, as my loving wife, I wish you a great year — not just family, but with friends, at work, with less stress, and great adventures… I love you.” Abbey's loving family made us believe in the power of expressing our hearts to “normalize speaking life and love into those we cherish while they’re still with us”. Blessing someone with your words and good wishes for their future ranks higher than anything money can buy — so why limit your gifts to material things?

According to research by Kory Floyd, people who are highly affectionate and say “I love you” more frequently are less susceptible to stress and have higher chances of experiencing positive emotions from "feel-good" hormone oxytocin than others. For Psychology Today, Kathy McCoy, Ph.D. lists 5 ways you can say I love you without actually saying it — I’m here for you, tell me more, you matter so much to me, how are you (really), and I enjoy you. If you're too shy for the three-word expression, you can always try these alternatives!

After watching the heartfelt video, @darkskinned24 wrote, “Can I also add a wish? Stranger from the internet: I wish you wealth, love, and prosperity,” and @victoriatherook wrote, “Girl I wish the Holy Spirit pulls this beautiful memory and it lights up any dark that ever dares to try and exist near you.” @unlocked.oneironaut shared, “Symbolically, I saw this as their wishes building upon one another as they used the other candles from the wishes before them, when it first started from one candle." @sustained.1.1 blessed her by writing, “May I wish you strength when you get weak, love when you don’t feel it, perseverance when you feel like giving up, joy when you wake up each morning, peace when life gets messy, and most of all love that endures all things gracefully.”

You can follow Abbey Villalobos (@abbeyvillalo) on Instagram for shopping related content.