Gift design
A New Year's Eve they step into
A stuck clock, a rocket that won't go, every firework in town, and their name in the sky.
11:59 on a city rooftop, and the clock has stuck. They tear the old year off the washing line, your photos behind every page — then a teddy's rocket, every firework in town, and their name in the sky.
It's 11:59 on New Year's Eve, up on a city roof: fairy lights on the washing line, two plastic chairs, the whole town waiting up. And the clock tower across the rooftops has stopped.
They look round it by moving their phone, and every tap makes the next thing happen.
What happens when they open it
- 1
Tear down the old year
The old year's calendar is pegged up among the washing, and it won't let go. They find each page and tear it off: behind it is one of your photos, with a line under it if you like, which comes up close and then hangs where the page was. Every page moves the clock on.
- 2
Ten, nine, eight… pfft
The whole city counts down. A teddy in a party hat lights his enormous rocket, runs for it and covers his ears. On zero it goes pfft. A long silence, one cricket, one dog, and the teddy slowly turns to look at them. One tap and he marches over and kicks it, which hurts. It goes, and every firework in town goes up with it, right round them, and the sky writes Happy New Year and their name.
- 3
The right year, your letter, a seat
The neon sign still has the old year on it, until its last digit falls off and lands round the teddy's neck. They pull a cord to bring the new one down. Then the last spark of the night drifts in on a little parachute, carrying your letter. And the teddy climbs on his chair, pours two cups of tea and pats the empty seat beside him.
Who it suits
- Someone you can't be with at midnight: a partner, a best friend, family in another country
- The person you shared the whole year with, bad months included
- Anyone who'd rather laugh at midnight than read another forwarded message
Worth knowing
- This is a premium design. Making it needs a Google sign-in and one premium credit, and it stays online for 90 days. The person you send it to just opens the link — no account on their side.
- Photos are optional. Up to five go behind the calendar pages, each with a line under it if you like; with fewer than three, the other pages hold New Year pictures instead.
- The story's clock isn't the real one, so it plays just the same whenever they open it, before midnight or after. It always shows the year that's just ending and the one that's arriving.
- Turn the sound on: the countdown, the silence and the fireworks are half the fun.
- On an iPhone they tap Allow once so moving the phone looks round the roof. If they'd rather not, dragging does the same thing.
- Your photos stay private. The roof is only reachable by someone holding the link.
Occasions it's offered for
Send this one
Write your message, get a link, send it however you'd send any link. It takes about five minutes. It's a premium design: you sign in with Google and use one premium credit, and whoever opens it needs no account.
Make a midnight rooftop 360°