How To Celebrate Your Birthday While Social-Distancing
If you’ve got a birthday to celebrate within the next few months, you’re probably thinking about how you’re going to honor that special day. With restaurants, bars, and essentially all public venues either shut down or restricted in capacity, it feels like there’s absolutely nothing to do! But don’t worry, because you’re not alone – there are tons of ways to have plenty of fun on a day that comes once a year, even under the regulations of social-distancing!
Here are some easy ideas that will make your birthday feel relatively normal this year.
Order a cake
Your birthday would not be complete without a cake, and the coronavirus should not deprive you of that! Although the stress bakers of the world have bought out all the flour and other baking supplies at the grocery store, you can still order one from your favorite bakery! Plus, local businesses need as much support as they can get right now, allowing you to eat dessert knowing that you’re also doing a good thing.
While you won’t be able to invite that many people over to share your sweets with, most bakeries are flexible with the size of cake available to order. Personal cakes are almost always an option on bakery menus, and cupcakes are also an option. But it’s your birthday, meaning that no one is stopping you from going the full nine yards and tackling an entire birthday cake by yourself!
Get dressed up
This day only comes once a year, so show it in how you look! Even if you’re spending the evening in isolation, sprucing yourself up with some makeup and your best fit is a great way to mark your birthday and will give your confidence a recharge it probably needs. Plus, if you video chat anyone during the day or have drinks with those you’re quarantining with, the effort you put into your look will put all eyes on you for your special day.
Stream a movie night
Obsessed with the Harry Potter series? Or is there a birthday movie-watching tradition you follow every year? Either way, using a service like Netflix Party to virtually stream a film with other devices is a foolproof way to socially-distance your birthday celebration this year!
Watching a movie over a conference call in real time with your friends or family members will make things feel relatively normal, and so will preparing classic movie snacks and drinks. Pop some popcorn and mix up your favorite cocktail, and then, once you’ve got your pajamas on, you’ll be ready to go for a chill night in “with” those you love on your special day!
Have an at-home scavenger hunt
Everyone deserves to feel like a winner. If you’re social-distancing with other people, hosting a birthday scavenger hunt is a great way to celebrate that also challenges people’s competitive sides!
The way to do this and keep it birthday-relevant is by hiding things you love or that mean something to you around your house and give everyone riddles so they have to guess what the objects are. Once they’ve cracked the code, they then have to look for it in the places you’ve hidden them! This scavenger hunt will kill off a few hours of the day, and will also expose who knows you the best. It’s a win-win.
Camp out
Stay-at-home restrictions in place or not, sleepovers are a fun birthday celebration for all ages. But since social distancing requires you to be six feet away from people, hosting a camp out in your backyard is a good way to see your friends without violating public health regulations!
If you’ve get a spacious backyard, have everyone bring their own tent and then set up a fire pit with s’mores fixings and other treats. One at a time, your guests can make s’mores around the fire, and if anyone is musically talented in your friend group, ask them for a live concert with campfire songs!
Make virtual cocktails
Over your video chat platform of choice, rally your friends or family for a virtual cocktail hour! Since most bars are temporarily closed, this is a great option for getting your drink on without leaving the house. It also gives everyone the freedom to prepare the drink of their choice and to catch up on how you’ve been keeping yourself busy in quarantine. Cheers to you on your birthday!
Turn your home into a spa
If you aren’t interested in the effort that goes into social-distancing hang outs, transform your bathroom into a high-scale salon, pampering yourself with a full spa day! Treat your self with bath bombs, face masks, and scented candles, then hunker down in the tub with a glass of wine and a good book. Nothing beats zne lighting and a bubble bath – the ambiance will give you a relaxing, easy birthday that you’ll never forget (and that your skin will thank you for!).
Host a Zoom party
If all else fails, invite your nearest and dearests to a virtual birthday party on Zoom! The video chat platform has become an increasingly popular way to hang out with people since stay-at-home orders were put in place, and many have resorted to video conference calls in place of IRL parties.
One creative way to take your Zoom party to the next level is by telling all your “guests” to acquire their own cakes or cupcakes so everyone can celebrate with their own treats. This also works with liquid spirits, so feel free let the champagne flow this year…virtually, that is!
You can also hand deliver invitations to your “guests” by leaving handmade notes on their doorsteps. This is thoughtful gesture will show off your creative side, and gives you something to do for a couple of hours in both the creation and delivery processes. If your party has a theme, making goodie bags with party favors is another cute idea that will get everyone hyped up for the big event, and feel free to enforce a fun dress code!
