No one wants to spend their birthday having to self-isolate due to Track and Trace or even worse, contracting Covid. Five days before my 21st birthday (which is today by the way), my Mum went for a PCR test as she felt under the weather. As worried as I was that she may have Covid and contract really bad symptoms, there was also a fear that I would have to self-isolate for my birthday. Fortunately, my Mum’s test was negative and she is Covid free. However, not everyone is as lucky as my Mum or me and does have to stay indoors. So, here are a few suggestions on ways that people can celebrate their birthday whilst stuck in their own home.
1.A themed day – There is nothing funnier than seeing your family all under one roof and dressed in fancy dress, especially when they have had to create something from their own wardrobe. So, as an idea that will cheer you up, why not have an all-day fancy dress party. Recently, a lot of families on TikTok are throwing parties and dressing up as each other. So, why not pretend to be your Dad for the day? Fish out some beige chinos and a body warmer!
2.Game day – Another way you can celebrate is by playing games all day. Spending the whole day sitting around a table with your family, all laughing and having a good time will bring you all closer together. It is probably a better way to spend quality time with your family instead of going out. However, you may want to give the Monopoly a skip if you would like to keep the peace in the house. It does not have to be board games either, if you have a games console that has multiple remotes (preferably four) then play some games on there.
3.A picnic at home – Just because you cannot venture down to your local park or a nice field somewhere does not mean you can’t have a picnic. Plan this one in advance and order some appropriate picnic food from the store or even make your own food with your family. Then, get the blankets out and go soak up some sun. Also, having a picnic in your own garden means you can have an alcoholic drink with your pork pies and sausage rolls!
4.Sports day – This is another outdoor celebration but just like game day, it is a day filled with activities that will bring your family closer together. Now, you will have to compromise with some activities as you cannot exactly play rounders in your garden. However, get some alcoholic drinks down you, grab a broomstick and a bean bag and you will have a whale of a time.
5.Facetime – Since Covid affects everyone differently, you may be bedbound for your birthday. While you may not be able to celebrate with your family, you can use your time in bed to facetime your friends and family members so they can wish you a happy birthday. Your friends may come and drop your presents off at the door, which means you can open them whilst on facetime with them.
6.Master Chef at home – Leana, one of The Student Aspect team members, used to do this with her family quite a lot. Have a family member cook breakfast, another can make lunch, another can make dinner and the other can make dessert. Or, you could limit it to dinner time and have someone make starters, someone makes mains and someone makes dessert. Of course, this activity depends on how many family members you have living in the house. It is hilarious to see people channel their inner Gregg Wallace and judge the food.
7.Movie day – Since it is your birthday, you have privilege over the remote and what films are going on. So, you are going to have to get all the snacks in the house (order some in, they are essential!), gather all the pillows and blankets, close the curtains and get cozy in the living room. You could pick a genre of films to watch, i.e. horror films, chick-flic films, Marvel films, etc. It is rare that a whole family can be in the same room, all just sitting there and enjoying everyone’s presence.
So, there you have it. There are some of the ideas that I thought of that, if you have to celebrate your birthday in quarantine, you can use. Let the team and I know how to do celebrate your birthday via our Instagram, @thestudentaspect.