As bizarre and heartbreaking as this last year has been, the small personal and beautiful parts of life still go on. People are still falling in love, babies are even being born, and birthdays are still happening. Unfortunately, the big get-togethers that used to revolve around birthdays aren’t something people want to risk this year. The magical thing about birthdays is that none of them were the same before any of this started, which means there’s no wrong way to celebrate!
Here are a couple of ideas to help you throw a birthday party for the whole family without putting a single person at risk.
Drive-By Birthday
A lot of people have used this classic. The thing that most don’t realize is the party doesn’t just have to be people driving by the curb of the birthday person! You can gather your group of cars and all go to a drive-in theater, or go park overlooking a beach or scenic view. If everyone brings their food, keeps their distance, and talks over systems like walkie-talkies or group audio chats, you can all have a fantastic time.
Costume Videochat Parties
This party is a popular pandemic birthday idea. Dress up in something bright and funny, and direct the rest of your party-goers to do the same, and enjoy a fun night of hilarious chat and costumes. If you want the party to have a theme, warn people ahead of time. Publicly post your amazon wishlist online, and open gifts on the call so you can thank people and feel that physical connection with them.
Small Family Gatherings
Most people don’t live alone. You can celebrate with those you share your Ottawa real estate in a way that suits you. If the birthday person loves Korean barbeque and hasn’t been able to go to a restaurant since this started, you can buy an electric griddle and make an at-home Korean barbeque so everyone can still cook their food. This party is a time you should splurge a little and buy whatever foods and sweets the birthday person likes.
Go Camping
Most camping sites are still open, but with stricter rules to ensure everyone is safe. The open-air lessens your chance of catching COVID, and the ability to be outside and stretch your legs is a fantastic opportunity for anyone wanting to get out and away from home. This plan can be done as a surprise birthday, but it’s essential to plan by weeks. Make sure you have everything you’ll need to make the camping experience as fun and freeing as possible.
Birthdays are days full of hope and promise for the year to come. There’s so much on our minds that it can be easy to get overwhelmed and be unsure if we should do anything at all. It’s important to celebrate your birthday this year more than any other because it reminds us that we’ve lasted this long, and as long as we’re thoughtful and safe, we can make it even further.
