lockdown birthdays ideas?

Discussion in 'Chatty Pad' started by bellbird, Jul 12, 2021.

  1. bellbird

    bellbird Pollywog

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    It's getting pretty obvious we'll still be in lockdown for DD's birthday next week.
    So far this month, her xmas present tickets to Hamilton got cancelled, her escape room party is off for the forseeable future and her b'day tickets to Wicked for next weekend are postponed at best (no final decision from the theatre on whether they will just completely cancel the show yet), and she's in online school and an 'essential' worker in fast food at dinner time on her actual b'day so she's said there's no point me even making her a birthday dinner etc.

    I know many of you will have unfortunately already gone thru lockdown birthdays so if you can share anything you did, or heard of others doing, to try to make it a bit more memorable day despite things, that would be great please.
     
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  2. bestcee

    bestcee In love with places I've never been to

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    We are kinda low-key with birthdays anyway.
    Munchkin:
    10th birthday: For the first lockdown birthday - Balloon Door to greet him in the morning (tape plastic tarp or garbage bag and stick balloons between the door and bag so they fall on kid when opening door) - scavenger hunt around the house to find presents. Some of them were escape room type clues that I found on Pinterest and blogs like magical ink and puzzle pieces to reassemble before reading the clue. Some were hidden in the balloons. Then I recreated his favorite restaurant meal at home and made his birthday cake. We zoomed with some of his friends.
    11th birthday: Balloon Door to greet him in the morning (he requested it, apparently he loved it!). Homemade cake. Semi-lockdown, so for this one we did go out to dinner. Picked up the book he wanted from the bookstore, and had two friends in his class (same germs pool) come over for cookies and a nerf gun fight outside. We made some targets, but it was more fun to just shoot each other. Homemade breadsticks to finish the outside play date.

    Not super exciting I know. I'm hoping 12 has zero lockdown. :backing
     
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  3. littlekiwi

    littlekiwi I charge by the hour for anything before noon

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    Not technically a lockdown birthday for me this past week but as my mum was working on my actual birthday and no large family celebration due to logistics, I just asked for a nice meal on Sunday that was a bit flasher than our normal affair. I'm really low key about my birthdays in general, when I was in my teens working for a fast food company I often worked on my birthday especially if it was on a Friday/Saturday/Sunday.
     
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  4. umyesh

    umyesh President of the Hangry Ladies Supper Club

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    Our neighbors surprised my daughter with Happy Birthday lawn signs by our porch and left a treat on the doorstep.

    My other daughter had a Zoom birthday party. I had her write down her favorite things and her friends on Zoom had to guess her answers. I thought it was fun!

    I also participated in a drive by birthday where we drove by the person’s house in a line of cars and honked and yelled happy birthday out the car windows.

    I hope you figure out something that makes everyone happy!
     
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  5. Tree City

    Tree City Get a stepladder, I'm busy

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    Can I start with {{{Gentle HUGS}}} if you need/want them, Mama! Planning bday celebrations is hard right now, and I assume a city lockdown makes it more difficult.

    I keep trying to give you ideas but I end up ranting about people not taking the pandemic seriously or who spout incorrect things/flat-out lies. Anyway...My DD got covid after getting her first vax dose. (Apparently that's a vulnerable time. Wish I'd known that BEFORE she got it. I would have had her do virtual school for 2 weeks following her first dose. School was really strict about masks, but they have to eat lunch.) I bring this up because I know firsthand how HORRIBLE covid can be for our kids--even when considered a mild case!--and I don't wish that on anyone. It's also so darn sneaky. This is all to say: you're doing the right thing by following the lockdown rules. You're helping to keep yourselves and others safe. I wish more people had been/were still careful here in the US. But I digress.

    So, for virtual fun ... what about an online escape room? IDK what's available for you in AUS, but a friend of mine did one here in the States and said it was awesome. Along those lines, I attended a zoom 40th bday party and her sister made a Kahoot with questions about the bday gal. (Kahoot is a platform schools use here, actually...not sure if it's big in AUS but maybe you know of something similar?) It was fun and silly. Some Qs that might work for your daughter: "What is her favorite movie?" and "Favorite ice cream?" Maybe you could ask "Dream vacation" or "where was she born" if you moved since her birth? They also played a quick-moving card game. Ooooh, I bet Scattergories would work, esp. if you could print some Game sheets ahead of time to mail/give in person to the kids. (Can you, while masked, walk up to a house and pass off something? IDK how strict the city's lockdown is so I'm being extra cautious!)

    If you're allowed to be outside (still masked etc), what about a "drive in movie" in your backyard? That's our plan for DD's bday this fall. We aren't huge bday/party people, but these kids need to (safely) celebrate what they can, when they can, ya know? I have a projector and screen. We'll put blankets and pillows outside and have a snack table with pre-portioned goodies/wrapped candy/individual serving chip bags etc, and they'll watch a movie in our backyard. Maybe the snacks make you nervous, so perhaps you could keep it more simple? If a backyard activity isn't allowed we've participated in a few Birthday Car Parades, like Monica mentioned.

    Again, {{{hugs}}} if you want them! You'll make this birthday memorable for her, no matter what! Courtney's idea of a balloon door might be nice since she's working. Or balloons in her car, if she drives to work? That could be a fun surprise. Could you visit her at work (without mortifying her, lol) and order food? Maybe sing Happy Birthday, if they'll allow that? Or have a balloon with you to kind of make your appearance special, even if no one but your family knows why. Maybe have your dinner with her during her lunch/dinner break?
     
    Last edited: Jul 13, 2021
  6. Karen

    Karen Wiggle it, just a little bit!

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    Ugh! That super duper stinks that all of those fun things you've been planning for her birthday are either postponed or canceled. I sure hope she's able to enjoy them at some point in the future though. Wicked AND Hamilton are my top two all times shows... so hopefully she can still have those on the horizon to look forward to.

    We had to do two sets of lockdown birthdays as my boys have March/April birthdays. The first ones were harder because it was all very new and we were all very stressed out about everything, so it was hard to get in the mood to celebrate. I didn't even want to go to the grocery store to get special stuff for their birthday meals. I didn't have birthday candles for my youngest's birthday, so used matches stuck wood side down in his cake. He thought it was funny. lol. So, basically we had gifts for him to open (thank you Amazon) and then we did a birthday Zoom call so he could at least see the people that would have normally come to celebrate with him. It was a rather short call since we were all new to Zoom and everybody was either talking all at once or nobody was talking so it was awkward. :giggle He seemed to like it though and was happy to get some kind of party. Mostly my boys are happy if they get to pick what I make for their birthday dinner and as long as there is cake or ice cream they are good.

    Could you make a fun little sign to put up near the drive thru to tell people to wish your daughter happy birthday as they go through? Of if not the drive thru, on the door where people are going in? That could be fun.
     
  7. LivyBug

    LivyBug I should be considered yarned and dangerous.

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    Ugh, that is so many things gone wrong. :( I hope you can make the day special for her.

    For my birthday this year we stayed in, ordered food, and played video games. Maybe make time for a puzzle or game together? Or another home activity she enjoys.

    When I was working still in 2020 I took the day off... I'm not sure if that's an option for her, but just having a blank day was nice, freeing, and a treat for myself.
     
  8. Iowan

    Iowan Is this heaven? No, it's Iowa

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    How about a scavenger hunt that goes throughout the day. Perhaps you could even leave a clue at work, in the car, her uniform pocket. Clues could be fun to make. E.g. first clue: The pandemic has turned this birthday upside down, your quest is to put it right side up. Find an object in the “kitchen” that is topsy turvy and it will give you a hint to solve your birthday quest. Have the clue under the upside down object. Have grandma, friends, etc call in clues during the day. At the end of the day, she can put the hints together to find the treasure/present. Could be a lot work but fun.
     
  9. FL-Karen

    FL-Karen Well-Known Member

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    Probably can't help you there.... but my grandson (in OK) was on lock down during his 2nd birthday and we couldn't go see him. So, we set up a zoom party with us (his grandparents) and his great-grandparents. I decorated the room I had setup the computer at. Baked him cupcakes. Had candles. Each one of us had a cupcake with a lite candle and sung to him. His mom, a. total sweetheart, helped us pull it off by baking cupcakes for him to have one too.
    Oh, we did ship him boxes and boxes of goodies and he opened while we were on zoom.
    Nothing compares to a physical hug from a grandson but this had to do..... for now!!
     
  10. jagruti patel

    jagruti patel Me love cookies! Yum! Yum!

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    I know, totally sucks! Things cancelled or postponed. Feels like we're just waiting around.
    We did low key celebration at home. A helium balloon, home made cake, take out for dinner (choice of the birthday person). I'm no help, we generally have low key celebrations except for the child...lol. I say enjoy the low key and then go all out when you can!
     
  11. jk703

    jk703 CEO of Anything and Everything, Everywhere

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    We did drive by birthdays. If available, we had the police or fire department send a car to lead the way, lol! They were open to trying to make the community smile as much as possible. We all hung out of cars, holding signs, and nerf gus shooting the birthday person! Then we did zoom parties... combination of pre-dropped off pizza kits and scavenger hunts for around their house. We also did virtual game nights that we played on our phones - App was called House Party.... though it is better with 4 people max. It was fun and we laughed a lot.

    I'm not sure how your lockdowns are and how strict.
     
  12. gonewiththewind

    gonewiththewind I choose joy.

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    Jay always leaves Post It notes around the house for birthdays. He'll write little messages on them. It's fun to go around and collect them all.

    My mom always cooks dinner for birthdays, and we get to choose what we want to eat as well as what we want for dessert. She sets the table beautifully and goes the extra mile to make you feel special.

    Daniel turned 15 last year and 16 this year. Last year, no birthday party with friends, but this year he was able to have some friends come over this year. He was super cool about last year . . . and was willing to take extra cash in lieu of a party. :)
     
  13. rach3975

    rach3975 Well-Known Member

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    I'm sorry so much has been cancelled or postponed for her! Here are some of the birthday and get together ideas we've done during Covid; some are all virtual, and others are distanced outdoors.

    Movie night--outside or done as a virtual watch party (I wasn't the one who set it up, but here I think watch parties can be done through Netflix or Amazon Prime Video.) If you do it virtually, some people prepped mug cake supply kits and dropped them off at everyone's houses.

    Craft session--we made glitter pens outdoors (baby oil and their choice of glitters in a pen blank like this or small crystals and no liquid), but you could also prep supply kits for everyone and do it over Zoom. I've also done a candle making craft session through Zoom. You had the option of buying a session with the instructor to lead a private class or just getting the kits and written directions. We made soy candles using the microwave.

    "Party games" on Zoom--There are a lot of ideas online. One of my DD's friends did something similar to the Kahoot mentioned above, but to involve all the girls more the mother sent all of the friends' parents a questionnaire and then the kids had to guess which response was from each person.

    Backyard s'mores around a campfire then distanced sitting and talking

    Special breakfast or lunch (or dinner the night before) since she'll be working at dinner time

    Good luck! I hope you're able to make the day special for her.
     
  14. Mrsdudds

    Mrsdudds Well-Known Member

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    Both my husband and myself recently celebrated our 40th birthdays during lockdown. For my husbands we had a garden party with a few family members and friends (our local rules allowed this). My husband enjoyed the day and it was nice to spend the day celebrating.

    For my birthday we had planned the same but the weather was against us, nobody wants to sit outside in the cold and cloudy weather. So I spent my birthday having a new tattoo done, then on Friday after my birthday we visited a Safari Park for a family day out.
     

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