Scroll on to see a few tried and true methods from folks who have experienced all of the above…
8 Ways To Celebrate Birthdays When You Can’t Be There In Person
1. “So I can speak from my experience because today is my birthday!! My husband wrote out an itinerary for the day – fresh brewed coffee in the French press, scheduled time for me to play some Animal Crossing, a menu for lunch that he will prepare, nap time, a walk, delivery tapas dinner, zoom calls with both sets of parents, a birthday cake he picked up from a local bakery, and finally ending it with a special whiskey flight tasting. I’m sooo excited for the day!!”
So even if you’re not there, you can still do something like this. Just write the itinerary and schedule everything for them!
2. “A lot of [people] I know have been using the website Tribute and secretly sending the link to [all] the person’s friends and family, they easily record a video message and the website compiled all of them into a long bday video with all their loved ones wishing them happy birthday! I cried watching one and it wasn’t even mine hah.”
3. “My little sister’s 18th birthday was a couple of weeks ago… my mum bought cheap Prosecco for everybody on their part of the street with a letter asking if they could stand at their door at 6 pm and sing happy birthday to her. My sister was happy surprised/mortified.”
4. “My buddy did this a few days ago. They had everybody in a video conference and everybody was dressed up like clowns for a kid’s birthday party. They showed off their costumes and did digital bingo and stuff like that through emails with the parents.”
5. “Me and my friends played poker online the other night for a birthday. You can set up private tables. Was a good laugh.”
6. “BYOB to a virtual game of Cards Against Humanity while chatting on Discord or IRC!”
7. “I created a scavenger hunt around the house for my SO which included clues that required him to call friends and family to get the next clue. It was great fun, and others appreciated having a part in the gift-giving!”
8. “For my boyfriend’s birthday recently, I decorated my room with balloons and a happy birthday sign just as you’d do for a surprise party irl. When we went on video call that day, I yelled ‘Surprise!’ You could also order a cupcake/cake to be delivered to his house, see what UberEats has. I also sent a virtual card to his email with drawings of us.”