Birthday in Quarantine? A Few Ideas to Make This Birthday at Home The Best One!
Some people, including me, consider their birthday their favorite day of the whole year. Certainly, most people I know enjoy gathering together to celebrate getting older with a group of friends, family, and loved ones on their birthdays.
Although, this year, the idea of getting together with a group of people seems completely impossible. So does this mean that the coronavirus outbreak has canceled birthdays this year? Absolutely not! There are a number of ways you can not only make your birthday enjoyable but also make it the best one yet.
Montage Video:
In my experience, the most tear-jerking at-home birthday present is a montage video for the person. Ask their friends, classmates, extended family, and other loved ones to film themselves singing or wishing them a Happy Birthday and then use iMovie to put them all together and surprise them on the big day. The result is sure to make the day of the birthday girl/boy and remind them how loved they are.
Car Parade:
In a more suburban environment, a parade from close friends and family by their house is a really fun and practical idea! Simply set up a place to sit (from a safe distance) and instruct friends/family to drive by slowly. It’s their very own driveby birthday party!
Birthday Zoom Call:
As another great alternative to a real-life party, assemble their classmates and friends for a birthday party on zoom. It might not be as fun as the real thing but you can still enjoy a piece of cake on your side of the call and have a happy birthday sing-along with your friends.
Celebrity Photoshoot:
For younger members of your family who may be fans of social media, simply hang up a fun colored sheet on a plain wall of your home. If you have a disco light, stickers, glitter or any other interesting props, use those too!. All you need is to dim the lights to create your very own photoshoot. To add some extra fun, treat the birthday person like a celebrity, do their makeup, and dress them up for the shoot. Have the other family members act like paparazzi or fans.
Movie Night:
It isn’t hard to have a super fun movie night at home. If you have a projector, you can hang up a white bedsheet on a wall and project your favorite movie onto it like your very own movie theater! Otherwise, move the furniture around the chosen tv in the most comfortable way you can. Get pillows and blankets and decorate the room like it’s your own personal viewing room!
Drive-Through & Pickup:
If you have a favorite spot in mind, it may be exciting to go pick up your favorite fast food lunch or dinner from a nearby drive-through restaurant. It’s a great way to get out of the house and add some extra fun! Play the person’s favorite kind of music loud and have a sing-a-long on the way there.
Netflix Party:
If you want to enjoy this movie night with a bigger crowd of your friends, consider installing a Netflix Party. The Chrome extension lets you watch videos with your friends and chat together at the same time. Plus, it’s not limited to kids celebrating their special day; if you are an adult flying solo, it is a great way to connect with your friends and family and have fun at the same time!
Send/Receive Care Packages:
This is definitely a time where care packages mean a great deal to the people receiving them. Sending a homemade care package is amazing because you can personalize it in the ways you know the recipient will love! Although, at this time one needs to be careful; If you want to buy your own gifts for the package from the store: wipe them down and use gloves! As an alternate option for people who are short on time, consider sending a pre-made Amazon care package to the person’s home address on or before their birthday. If they’re nearby, you can also consider sending some Insomnia Cookies or maybe a Seamless Order or Grubhub delivery to their house. If you have a specific place in mind, call in, and ask if they do delivery, and don’t be afraid to support local businesses!!
Picnic
If you have a backyard or a terrace that is a safe distance from any neighbors, I recommend a surprise outdoor picnic or candlelit dinner with the favorite dish of the birthday person. Don’t skimp on music from a speaker and decorations; the more elaborately decked out it is, the more fun it can be for the person!
Indoor Camping
If you have time on your hands, it’s a great idea to set up a tent or a fort in the living room! Try a fun “sleepover” with lots of blankets, pillows, and snacks. Don’t forget that you can combine this with the movie night or Netflix party ideas.
Scavenger Hunt:
If you are planning someone’s birthday and you’re in an apartment with limited options, you might consider a scavenger hunt around the house. Buy a few small gifts and place them in plain sight or in random funny places like in a fruit bowl or under the sink. With each present, place a clue to find the next one. However, if you have a bigger gift in mind, hide the bigger gift in the last location of the scavenger hunt and instead leave a piece of candy with each clue leading up to the last.
Dancing/Karaoke:
Don’t be afraid to get creative with the circumstances you’re in. If you have a speaker, turn your kitchen into a dance party. If you have them handy, turn on some colorful lights to create a disco effect. If you enjoy singing, pull up karaoke on your computer or screenplay it onto your tv.
There are so many creative ways to make this birthday the best you’ve had! And for those who don’t have a Spring birthday, don’t be shy to use a combination of any one of these when planning a loved one’s birthday.
Perhaps the pandemic has changed the way you expected to celebrate, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still have an amazing time doing it!