It’s always nice to come across a story like this. It might not be ground-breaking news, but it’s light-hearted and that can only be a good thing.

17th January, which came two days ago, is the birthday of the lovely actress/musician Zooey Deschanel, and for her birthday she received a letter wishing her a happy birthday from none other than President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle (whose birthday is in fact the very same day).

Can you imagine opening a birthday letter and finding it was from your president? (Or your respective country’s leader?) Madness. It must have been such a good feeling. Deschanel took a photo of the letter for posterity, and shared it with us all on her Facebook (with thanks to Vulture for the tip-off).

Deschanel has been deservedly rising over the past few years, wonderfully starring in Yes Man and (500) Days of Summer, and has most recently been the star of her very own TV show, New Girl, and everyone I know who’s watching it says it’s absolutely brilliant. It’s nice that it’s clearly recognised far beyond the entertainment industry that she’s generally very well-liked and having a positive impact on those that look up to her.

If you’re reading this in America, I believe New Girl has just started up again this week after the Christmas break. And if you’re here in the UK like me, I’m pretty sure that it’s now showing on Channel 4 once a week, having started the first week of the New Year. Without further ado, here’s the snapshot Deschanel took of her presidential birthday letter. As usual, you can click to enlarge.