One test, three exceptions, and what to do when you are guessing.
If the person has made the joke about themselves first — about their age, their hobby, their habits — a funny card is safe. If they have not, a sincere one is. A joke you introduce is a comment; a joke you echo is a shared laugh.
Between close friends, a sincere card can land oddly — too formal for the relationship, like being addressed by your full name. If your friendship runs on insults, a heartfelt card is the surprising choice and not always the welcome one.
A warm design with a funny handwritten message inside. Cards here arrive blank, so the printed side can stay sincere while the note does whatever your relationship calls for. This is the answer whenever you genuinely cannot tell — you get both, and the display side is the safe one.
