With almost two months of social distancing under our belts, anniversaries, gender reveals, wedding dates and prom nights have come and gone, being recognized only in the comfort of our own homes. Celebrating a birthday while at least six feet away from a friend or loved one may be difficult, but the ingenuity seen across social media has been incredible.
Three of my best friends finished another lap around the sun this week, so aside from the now normal birthday caravans through their neighborhoods, my friends and I found other ways to make their days as special as possible. For one friend, we filmed and edited a video wishing her a happy birthday and sharing a funny memory to pretend like we were there with her, laughing over dinner and cake. We mailed Baked by Melissa cupcakes to another friend, a fun and tasty treat to show we were thinking of her. She has also gotten very into fitness since social distancing started, so we all chipped in to get her a Lululemon gift card to fuel her running addiction. Last weekend, we threw a surprise zoom birthday party by convincing our friend the call was only a few girls, but sharing the link with her friends from high school, her family members, and some unexpected faces from college.
My dad, who is quarantined with me, has a birthday coming up, so we have big plans to make the day as great as possible. A special dinner, a family movie night, and some gardening gifts (courtesy of our Amazon Prime subscription) will hopefully make the day more than mundane as we try our best to switch up our routine. Hopefully, we’re able to show our love despite not being able to make the day too unique.
Obviously, no amount of effort will replace throwing a birthday party, attending a birthday dinner, or giving a gift in person, but given the circumstances, we all have to do the best we can. All we can do is show those we love that we care and try our best to spoil them on their special day. Not to mention, hopefully by the time that their half birthday rolls around we can celebrate (semi) normally.