The past eleven or so months have turned many of our worlds upside down. The coronavirus and Covid-19 pandemic has left havoc in its wake, impacting all areas of our lives – and often, not in a particularly positive way.
The virus itself has taken many lives and left many sick. The contagious nature of the virus has meant that the majority of governments around the world have implemented social distancing and social isolation measures to slow its spread. This has meant that many have been unable to work, many businesses have been left unable to operate and many of us have faced financial difficulties.
On top of this, spending most of our time indoors and only being able to spend time with those we live with (if we live with anyone at all) has resulted in cases of loneliness and mental and emotional struggle. It’s safe to say that, for many of us, 2020 really wasn’t the best year.
Of course, in the midst of all of these serious issues, worrying about birthdays and birthday celebrations may seem pretty minor. But this is one day of the year that we feel we can really focus on the birthday person and celebrate them – whether that’s ourselves or someone else. It’s a chance to show love, feel happy and have a generally positive and uplifting day.
This is important during difficult times like these! But how can we celebrate birthdays without potentially risking anyone’s health or wellbeing and advancing the spread of coronavirus around the world? Here are a few suggestions that might help you out!
How To Celebrate Birthdays During the Pandemic
Follow the Rules
The first, and most important, thing we need to say is that it’s absolutely essential that you follow the rules implemented by your government or local area when it comes to celebrating your birthday or someone else’s birthday during the pandemic. Sure, it may not seem fun to be limited in what you can and can’t do. But at the end of the day, the rules are there to protect you, to protect your loved ones and to protect everyone around you. They help to minimize the spread of the virus, reduce illness, reduce the load being placed on healthcare facilities and to generally keep everyone safe. Sure, you may see others breaking the rules and doing as they please. But don’t take this as an excuse to do the same yourself. Things won’t be like this forever. Doing things a little differently this year is a small sacrifice to make in the grand scheme of things.
Video Calls
Of course, times are hard. But the beauty of living right now is that we are in a technological age. Many of us have tech gadgets and are able to keep in touch with one another without the need for face to face contact. This has been a saving grace for many of us. Video chats and group video chats have skyrocketed in popularity as it is over the past year, with many of us taking advantage of this software to see the faces of our nearest and dearest and to feel as close to a face to face conversation as we can get. Group video calls have also meant that we’ve been able to talk to multiple people at once. In regards to birthdays, why not hold video calls or group video calls to do an at-home version of things you might have been doing on your birthday before the virus spread.
Virtual Pub Quiz
A virtual pub quiz could be a good place to start out. Arrange a time that suits yourself or the birthday person and invite anyone who you’d like to attend. Then, ask that everyone arranges their own drinks and snacks for the event, to give it a more pub-like feel. Prepare the quiz beforehand. Make sure to look up a variety of questions and answers and note them down. Then, everyone can join in virtually, answering by writing down on a piece of paper and totaling up points at the end of the round!
Virtual Dinner Party
Another great option is a virtual dinner party. If you usually head to a particular restaurant or cafe on your birthday, why not try to recreate one of their dishes in your own kitchen. Ask other attendees to do the same. Then, you can all log into the video call and have dinner together, chatting as you would over a table in a restaurant or cafe!
Posting Gifts
Times are financially hard for many of us, so don’t feel pressured to buy gifts for anyone at any point – even if you usually do. If you can’t afford it this year, people are bound to be more than understanding. However, if you do have the money available and do want to purchase a gift, remember that you can and that you can simply send them to the birthday recipient. All you need is their address! You can have some types of gifts sent directly out to them. Birthday Flowers are a good example and are bound to brighten their day. It’s also very easy to have birthday cards created online. There are a number of sites where you can choose a design, fill in the message and have the end result posted directly to the recipient. If you want to add a personal touch, you could choose gifts to be sent to you, wrap them in your own home and then resend them back out to the recipient. Any option is bound to bring a smile to their face!
Decorate
If you live with someone who’s having a birthday, why not decorate? This can help to create a sense of occasion within your home, even if you aren’t heading out. Birthday decorations don’t need to be costly and could even be hand made if you have the time on your hands. Think of creating and hanging up some banners saying happy birthday. You could blow up balloons or have helium filled balloons delivered to your home. You may even want to get some confetti to sprinkle about.
Bake a Cake
A birthday cake is often seen as an essential and traditional part of any birthday. So, why not bake one? Many of us got into baking during the first lockdown, with supermarket shelves being swept of baking essentials, so chances are you may have some skills up your sleeve by now. Whether you opt for a basic victoria sponge or a more elaborate, tiered cake, this could prove to be a fun activity as well as a great surprise for the person whose birthday it is!
If you live with someone with dietary preferences or requirements, remember to keep this in mind when baking. There are plenty of gluten free, dairy free, vegan and nut free recipes out there for you to choose from and to try out. If all else fails and the cake goes wrong, you can always order one in!
As you can see, birthdays really don’t need to be completely cancelled just because of the pandemic.
Sure, you might not be able to throw a huge house party. Sure, you might not be able to go out to the bars or the club. But you can still have a nice time and ensure that everyone else has a nice time on their own birthday too! You just have to think outside of the box a little!
Hopefully, some of the above information will help you to celebrate in the safest and most covid-secure fashion possible.