Everyone loves to celebrate special times, but many are stumped on how to celebrate during social distancing. Let’s be honest, it’s hard to do that during a pandemic causing quarantine. More than ever, during these crazy times, celebrations and smiles are needed.
So when my daughter’s Sweet 16th birthday landed in the middle of the ‘rona, I was determined not to let the virus affect her day.
Enter my new gig: Social Distance Party Planner.
Video Messages
The planning actually started a week before. Her sister and I reached out to all of our family friends, her teammates and coaches, and family and asked for them to send us birthday wishes via video. They texted them to us and my daughter edited them into a video. We put them all together and showed them to her first thing in the morning. From her long time babysitter to her family in Maryland, the love that came through those videos was just amazing.
Drive By Birthday Parade
We coordinated a drive by birthday parade for that evening. It was so much fun. Friends can get out of the house but stay in the car and drive by waving and singing! True celebrating through social distancing. But a word of warning: it was tough for the teens not to congregate. She had friends with the windows down blaring birthday tunes, handmade posters, and even a drive by from her grandparents. We did this as well for a friend that turned 50. Another idea for a smaller group is a parking lot party, park a few spaces apart and sit on top the cars and chat while keeping a safe distance.
Go Local
Going out to eat was not going to happen, so we supported a local business that delivers. We started our daughter’s sweet 16 celebration with hand delivered donuts from a local donut shop and ended with thai take out. You can find some yummy recipes if you want to cook here: https://thecollarfind.com/
Zoom Roast and Toast
Not just for business meetings, schedule a zoom roast and toast to celebrate a loved one’s big day! Our friend’s did this but use a business account or you only get 40 minutes!
Although there was no need for gifts, friends got creative. For girls, a bag of favorite snacks or beauty buys from the grocery store were a hit. Love this wrapped toilet paper that was gifted to my daughter during the parade. Our good friend received lots of Corona Light, as you can imagine! Hope these tips helped with How to Celebrate During Social Distancing. For more fun finds: Check out my Insta!
