We have all got used to spending precious time away from friends and family over the last 12 months, and whilst many of our favourite things have had to be sacrificed – eating out, going to concerts, going on holiday – one of the biggest things everyone has missed out on is celebrating birthdays.
Whether it’s a milestone occasion or not, everybody loves getting together to celebrate a birthday, and we have become ever-more creative in ‘making do’ and celebrating remotely on Zoom, House Party or Teams calls with our ‘virtual’ friends. Of course this is keeping us safe and protecting the NHS, and with a bit of imagination you can still make it a birthday to remember. You already hope this is going to be a unique occasion, but here are a few ideas to make it truly memorable.
First things first, act normal. That might sound odd, but we mean you can still send and receive presents and design great personalised cards and wrapping paper for your gifts. You can still decorate the house too, and make sure you have a really cool backdrop for your online party. So get your friends and family to save a time and date – which should be much easier than normal – and lets have a brilliant virtual birthday party with ideas for all ages.
Escape room games: online escape rooms are available where households compete against each other to decipher codes, solve riddles and think quickly to win the race.
Quiz: the staple ingredient of any lockdown get together, this can work well for birthday parties if you inject something competitive and fun, and involve some prizes too.
Disco: this works for all ages and enables people to let themselves go from a more discreet distance. Let each household contribute their own mini-playlist, put yourselves on mute and share audio until your feet can take no more.
Craft/art session: kids love to get together and create something special, this is a simple idea that enables people to chat and have a giggle whilst still putting their energies into something creative.
Wine-tasting: definitely one for the adults, and can include beers or gins also, but amateur connoisseurs can very easily assemble online to sample, compare, rank and discuss various tipples you send around beforehand.
Cooking/bake-alongs: a good one for any ages, send around a recipe and a list of ingredients and everyone can make something special and have a laugh comparing the end results.
Cocktail making: this doesn’t have to be adults-only, there are plenty of mocktails that require a list of exotic ingredients, lots of crushed ice, some big chunks of fruit, lots of shaking and an umbrella.
Hamper deliveries: put a food parcel together, maybe an afternoon tea, get it delivered to your guests and you can all eat the same things together and chat about how yummy they are, just like we used to do!
Scavenger hunts: this is really easy, burns off tonnes of energy and creates a real competitive spirit. Make a list of 10 random things to find somewhere in each household – a book, a spoon, a favourite teddy, a striped sock etc etc- and see who is first to breathlessly return with their loot.
Fancy Dress: oh yes, did we mention that you can do any of the above in fancy dress too?
Make sure you get a birthday treat all wrapped up in Dom & Geri personalised wrapping paperas normal, and make a great party plan with one or more of these ideas, and get in touch to let us know how your virtual birthday party went!