10 tips for your self-isolation birthday celebration
COVID-19 has us all social distancing from one another, which in some ways can certainly be a drag, but is also extremely important to our collective effort to ‘flatten the curve’.
We can do this!
The past couple of days have been overwhelming for us all. With rapid changes to our daily lives like closures of cultural and social hubs, and intense news coverage, I must admit that my creative juices weren’t flowing as freely as usual. The stress of the unknown has taken up much more of my headspace than I would like!
Thankfully, a friend reached out the other day and suggested the idea of creating a “Birthday in a Box”. What a fantastic idea! Putting together a box full of all the items you would need to celebrate the birthday boy/girl/mom/dad/roommate/significant other, etc. from the comfort of your own home - perfect. Once I wrapped my head around the concept (no pun intended) and came up with a vision, Amazon - a vital part of the plan, had, unfortunately, stopped delivering non essential items. Great timing :/ Luckily there are alternatives!!
I’m the oldest of five kids, and birthday parties were always a big deal at our house. Last night, while reflecting on the isolation situation for many, I couldn’t stop thinking about all the people, kids in particular, that wouldn’t get to celebrate their birthdays the way they should - surrounded by family and friends, on a total sugar high, running around, and just being the centre of attention for a day. This idea made me think of how to help.
Below are some ideas you can use to:
fill some of your newly found free time
keep everyone occupied
inject a little creativity into a ‘blah’ day and
make the birthday human feel extra special, and extra loved
Theme
Your only job here is to pick something fun! The world is your oyster with the understanding that the guest of honour needs to be stoked about it.
Invitations
Whip out the arts and crafts bin because it’s time to get creative and to go back in time to when paper invites were a thing. Paint, glitter, markers, ribbon, you name it! You don’t need to go out to buy new supplies for this. Old magazines, yarn, or even all those extra toilet paper rolls you might have lying around can be put to good use when designing and making your invites.
Make sure everyone in the house gets one so they can show up on time and dress to impress for the celebration!
Decorations
The internet is full of DIY birthday craft ideas. Full disclosure, I got lost in the ‘black hole’of Pinterest while doing some research this morning. Here are some of my favourite decor ideas and links that direct you to a list of ‘how to’s’.
Festive backdrop: This can be related to the theme of your party, it can just say a simple HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!, it can depict some kind of scene, or it can be made up of different arts and crafts materials you have at home (tin foil makes for a great metallic touch). Pick a wall in your house where the backdrop will live and then build the party out from there so it acts as the focal point. Check these ones out as a starting point:
Birthday confetti: I know, I know, it’s a real pain to clean up, but in my humble opinion, every party should include an element of confetti and sparkle. And everyone has paper lying around. Who needs shredders when you cut up old documents into itty bitty pieces and make them look pretty?!
I’m not alone in my love of confetti - check out this site’s Ultimate Guide to Confetti and have some fun picking which type you will make for the big partay.
Embellished party hats: Nothing symbolizes the term “birthday party” to me more than a party hat. You can make new ones with materials you have at home or use old ones you bought for a different occasion and bedazzle the hell outta them! Here is an easy how-to which also includes a template to print off.
The Music
Not everyone might see the importance of a good playlist, but now is the perfect time to teach them, guide them, and have them pick all the tunes they want to hear at their party. If the guest of honour is feeling generous maybe everyone else in the house can add their favourite song or two.
The goal here is to have the playlist encourage a dance party. Exercise and fun all in one! Now, more than ever, we all need to keep those endorphins coming.
The Cake
Many of you, especially those sweet-tooths out there, may have a box of cake mix and tub of icing in the pantry. If not, don’t worry, you can use other pantry items to create something special, even if it’s a little less traditional. A sheet of rice krispies squares, a tower of cookies (ones you may already have or ones that you can make at home), a fruit cake- not the one that is popping into your mind right now, but one that is made with actual fruit from your fridge.
Guest List
Family and friends will want to join the celebration too, so pick a time when they can all call in via FaceTime, Skype, or Zoom to sing happy birthday together.
Another way to include them is to ask everyone to send a video birthday message to the guest of honour. This is a sure-fire way to make anyone feel special on their not-so-traditional birthday.
These quarantine-friendly birthday party ideas are a way to bring your family and friends together and help ensure that a special occasion like a birthday does not go unnoticed, and that people feel loved and special during a time that is filled with so much uncertainty. It’s back-to-basics until we can safely celebrate all of life’s milestones together again, hopefully soon, and in-person.
Keep the festivities going, and stay safe!