How to Celebrate Your Lockdown Birthday

While you may not be able to throw an actual house party, there’s nothing stopping you from having a virtual drink with your friends and family. And with apps such as Zoom or Houseparty, it’s now easier than ever to stay connected online. Both of these apps give you the ability to make phone calls, share video, or your screen and even answer in-app trivia questions. So the possibilities are endless – fancy dress party anyone?

Get Outdoors

If you’re lucky enough to have an outdoor space and it’s not raining, why not have a birthday BBQ? Or a picnic? Make your favourite sandwiches, or BBQ food, grab a birthday cake and sit in the sunshine for the afternoon. You could also ask your family and friends to do a birthday drive-by for you.

For those of you who live in a flat or shared house, with no outdoor space. Why not turn your living room into a cosy den with sheets and fairy lights, and have your own indoor picnic on the floor? Or use outdoor spaces such as parks, subject to government guidelines.

Movie-themed night

Stick on one of your favourite movies, grab some snacks, and have a movie night in. Bonus points if you match your dinner or snacks to the movie you’re watching. For example, wine, and cheese while watching Pixar favourite Ratatouille. You could even go one step further with popcorn buckets and cinema-style cups if you have them.

Lockdown birthday decorations

Balloons and streamers are fairly common additions to any birthday party, so why hang some of these around your living area? It will give your day more of a birthday feel to it and break up the day-to-day lockdown life. You could even have a go at making your own decorations such as paper chains or origami stars.

Photo by Gaelle Marcel on Unsplash

Cook your favourite meal

Even though you can’t visit your favourite restaurant, that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy your favourite foods. You could cook yourself or get someone else to! It is your birthday after all. 😉 Or order in from your favourite takeaway. Some restaurants are also sharing some of their recipes online. So why not try recreating one of your favourites at home?

Don’t forget the cake!

What’s a birthday without cake, right? You could buy a birthday cake from the shops or have a birthday baking session. Whichever you prefer. Even if you’re not an experienced baker you may find you enjoy it. And discover a new hobby.

Virtual karaoke party

There are many karaoke versions of songs available on YouTube so why not pick a few and have a sing-a-long session. You can even invite your friends to a video chat and ask them to sing along with you.

At home spa day

Grab some fluffy towels or a bathrobe and treat yourself to an at-home pamper session. Whether that’s a relaxing bubble bath or painting your nails, find something you enjoy, and give yourself some much needed TLC. You could even take the time to do your hair and make. And if you’ve got a willing participant, ask them to give you a foot or back massage for extra relaxation.

Lockdown birthday camping

If you often go away for your birthday why not your tent up in the garden and have a mini staycation at home? Of course, garden camping is no consolation for all of those cancelled trips, but you’ll be glad for the change of scenery. Especially after being indoors for weeks. You could also take the opportunity to do some stargazing.

Make plans for when lockdown is over

One of the worst bits of a lockdown birthday is not being able to see all your friends and family, so why not arrange to see them after lockdown is over? You could always go for a drink or a bite to eat and re-celebrate each other’s birthdays if you want to.

Have you had a lockdown birthday? Or know someone who has? How did you spend it? Let me know in the comments.