Stay-at-home orders have rolled out in countries all over the world since the COVID-19 pandemic started. For many, this means spending birthdays in isolation, without family or friends to celebrate it with.
It’s not a problem for some but for others, it can be a source of grief in this already emotional times. But you know what, there are ways to make birthdays extra special for you or someone special even during isolation.
How To Celebrate ISO Birthdays During Quarantine
First, accept and understand your feelings about the situation. There are some people who place more emphasis in celebrating their birthdays each year while others treat it like any other day. If you are the former, don’t feel bad for wanting to celebrate because there are ways you can do this safely at home.
One way is to organise a virtual birthday party. You can invite your closest friends and family to a meeting over at Zoom. Organise something you can all do while in the virtual party. Maybe you can eat together as a group or play a fun game with everyone. In terms of food, you can ask people to prepare something simple like pizza, cupcake, champagne or even just wine and cheese so they won’t have trouble securing them wherever they are. If you don’t want to play games, maybe prepare a set of questions for your guests. You can also have each guest set a positive intention they want for the year and discuss that. Finally, if you throw a party, make sure to have a scheduled end time so it’s easier for people to log off.
Asking and Giving Gifts
If it’s your birthday, it’s best to be upfront about asking for gifts. Letting people know ahead of time what you want is easier. Now, if you’re getting a birthday present for someone else at this time, here are some of our most recommended birthday gift ideas you can use.
Birthday Gift Ideas During Quarantine
1. A Free One Month Subscription to an App of their Choice
Paying for a month’s worth of subscription to the celebrant’s favourite app is a great gift to give. Just Venmo the cost of the app or subscription service. Some of the most popular apps to give away include Meditation apps like Calm and Headspace. Music services like Spotify or Amazon Music also work well. Movie and TV show streaming sites like Hulu, Disney and of course, Netflix also make great sense.
2. Give them A Book Reading Subscription
For the book nerds and writers in your life, gifting a Kindle Unlimited Subscription is a great choice. The Kindle app works on any device and is perfect for those who love to read and get lost in their own world.
3. Send Them Flowers
Flowers and plants always add brightness to any gloomy day. If you can find flower delivery services available in the celebrant’s area, why not surprise them with a birthday bouquet of blooms! Houseplants are also terrific because they help connect people to nature even when inside their home.
4. Join a New Online Class Together
There’s nothing better than mastering a new skill to keep you focused. Why not hand out a gift of an online class to the birthday celebrant? You can do the class together and brush up on baking, photography or whatever courses you will both enjoy.
5. Send Groceries
Here’s a practical gift you can give away. Sending over free groceries (which you can shop online or drop off by the door) is a fantastic way to celebrate someone’s birthday during these challenging economic times. People who are having difficulties doing groceries by themselves will also appreciate this gesture. If you want to limit the physical interaction, you can also send out gift cards via email instead.
6. Send a Video Message Using Cameo
From professional athletes to actors, Cameo is a nifty place to get celebrities to create custom videos for someone you care about. The concept is something new and fun especially if you know the person you are giving it to will appreciate it. Messages in Cameo start at $15 and you have a good amount of choices to pick from.
7. Get Them A Personalised Gift
Go online and you’ll find a host of beautiful items that can be personalised as a gift just like this personalised phone case from The Dairy. Add images, words, play with the colours and even choose the type of phone case you need and The Dairy will create it for you.
Birthdays are a great milestone. Even during a pandemic, there’s no reason not to celebrate another year on this planet. And just because we’re stuck at home, doesn’t mean we can’t get creative in celebrating or helping someone celebrate their special day.
