Last week we celebrated Merritt’s 4th birthday and Clay Thomas’ 2nd birthday. Originally we had planned a super cute Easter-themed party at the park with an Easter egg hunt. Merritt had been talking about her birthday for months. We had the eggs stuffed for over a month in preparation for the party. Obviously, those plans changed and we had to figure something out.
So what did I do?
For Merritt’s Birthday
Well, when the talk of schools potentially closing, I did panic (a little) and went ahead and bought birthday presents, cake mix, and decorations just to be on the safe side. And, I am glad I did. We explained to Merritt about the virus and that we would not be able to have a party with her friends and I was so proud of how she handled it. Honestly, I think I was more disappointed in not giving her a party than she was. To make her day a little more special I decorated the house with streamers, banners, and balloons. Merritt said it was perfect! We made homemade cupcakes and my parents came over to give her presents and have cupcakes. We also have a tradition at our house that you wake up to candles in a donut for your birthday.
On the evening of her birthday, I had invited family, friends from school, and some of our church family to participate in a birthday parade. It was perfect. By the afternoon she was starting to get a little down about not celebrating with other people (her words). Surprising her with her friends put a big smile on her face and saved the day. We gave each of our friends a cookie to say thank you for stopping by.
Her friends (the parents) went above and beyond to make sure Merritt felt loved by sending presents, making videos, making posters and sent cards in the mail. She truly felt loved and forgot all about not having a party.
For Clay Thomas’s Birthday
Clay Thomas was a little less stressful. He did not have a clue about his birthday. But we still tried to make his day special. Clay Thomas shared his birthday with Easter this year so we had lots to celebrate that day. We decorated the house for him as well, also we had a donut waiting for him when he woke up. He was most excited about his cupcake and blowing out his candles. His grandparents FaceTimed him since they had dropped his present off earlier in the week.
Having a birthday during this crazy time CAN be fun. No pinterest perfect pressure…a lot of good quality family time. I have come across some other creative ways to celebrate during a quarantine that you might enjoy incoporating:
Make homemade decorations (here are some banners we created for you: Boy Birthday Banner, Color Your Own Birthday Banner, Girl Birthday Banner)
Put on a parade. I put some balloons on the mailbox. Merritt wore a birthday crown, and we made some cookies for party favors.
Have friends and family mail cards
Virtual party. You could drop off items like party hats, decorations, or a cupcake and everyone could celebrate together with FaceTime or Zoom.
Netflix has an extension with Chrome so that you can host a movie. Netflix Party is an extension that synchronizes video playback and offers group messaging so you can have a movie night even if you are miles apart.