Summary

The article provides creative suggestions for celebrating birthdays during the coronavirus lockdown, emphasizing virtual gatherings, food, and home-based experiences.

Abstract

The author discusses the challenge of celebrating birthdays during the coronavirus pandemic, particularly for those with April birthdays, including the author's father, husband, and son. With traditional parties being unsafe, the article suggests planning a virtual celebration using video chat platforms like Zoom, focusing on comforting food by tailoring menus to the birthday person's preferences, and creating a memorable experience at home, such as a movie night or a spa day. The piece also advises ordering gifts and supplies early due to shipping delays and low inventory in stores.

Opinions

The author believes that despite the lockdown, birthdays should still be celebrated as they provide comfort and happiness, which are especially needed during stressful times.
Virtual celebrations are seen as a fun and safe alternative to traditional parties, allowing for creative activities and maintaining social connections.
Food is considered a source of comfort and joy, and preparing a birthday person's favorite dishes is a way to make their day special.
Recreating outside experiences at home, such as movie dates or spa visits, is encouraged to compensate for the inability to celebrate outside.
Early planning and ordering of gifts and supplies are deemed essential to ensure readiness for the birthday and to avoid the disappointment of late deliveries.

How to Celebrate a Birthday Amid Coronavirus Lockdown

April is birthday month in my family. My dad, husband, and son all have April birthdays. In fact, my son was just born last year, so this was supposed to be jolliest April we’ve had yet.

My dad is turning 70 this year. He had his big birthday all planned out — dinner and a show he was really excited about.

My husband and I have been having so much fun planning our son’s first birthday party. However, even postponing it a bit would mean we have a house full of people freshly off quarantine, which doesn’t sound too appealing.

This means it’s time for Plan B.

I’m determined to make these quarantined birthdays special, because we all really need a celebration right now. If you’re in the same predicament, here’s some ideas that might help.

1. Plan a Virtual Celebration

No, you can’t — or if your local area still allows celebrations, you definitely should not — have a traditional party where actual people arrive at a designated location. However, modern technology makes video chats easy, so take advantage of this.

Just as you would for a traditional party, send a digital invitation to all invited guests. On the big day, send all those who RSVP’d ‘yes’ a Zoom link to the party.

Now, make it fun! Tailor the activities to your crowd. You could have a drinking game, where anytime a certain word is said, everyone has to take a drink. You could ask everyone to wear a costume, and then choose the best dressed — whatever works for your guests.

2. Focus on Food

In times of stress, people turn to food for a reason. Favorite dishes are comforting and they make us happy, and your birthday boy or girl needs this more than ever right now.

Tailor your menu to meet their preferences . If they usually enjoy dining out on their birthday, let them choose a restaurant to order in from. However, if they ask you to make a favorite dish, do everything possible to accommodate all requests.

Consider making the day extra special by creating breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus tailored to the person of the day. This will make them feel special and help compensate for not being able to go out and celebrate.

3. Create an Experience

You don’t have to leave the house to give your birthday person a fun day. A little creative thinking can allow you to bring some of their favorite outside experiences into your home.

For example, if they typically enjoy a movie date, see what new releases are available for streaming. Since most movie theaters are closed, many new films were placed online for rent or purchase.

For spa lovers, you could also transform your bathroom into a place of Zen. Draw them a bath, light a scented candle, play spa music on your phone, and spritz the room with calming eucalyptus spray. No, it’s not the spa, but it will be a pretty lovely substitute.

Use the extra energy you have from being cooped up inside to really think about what your birthday boy or girl would be doing if a deadly virus hadn’t taken over the planet. When you figure this out, you’ll be able to create an experience that makes their day a special one.

4. Order Gifts and Supplies Early

If you’re like me, you’ve grown accustomed to ordering something online and having it on your doorstep in a matter of days. This isn’t our current reality, as stores are weirdly low on inventory for products you’d never image — for example, cake mix has become nearly as scarce as antibacterial soap — and low-priority items aren’t always shipping as quickly.

The last thing you want is to order supplies and not have them arrive in time, so plan ahead. Decide what you need to make this birthday in quarantine extra special, then order everything as soon as possible. It’s much better to have to hide the supplies from them, than to have to explain why you aren’t prepared for their birthday.