7 Ways to Celebrate with Friends While You’re Staying at Home

The lockdown guidelines in some places may have eased up a little, but that doesn’t mean it’s completely safe to go out and celebrate special occasions the way you’re used to. At the same time, staying safe at home doesn’t mean you have to miss out on events that focus on personal milestones, like a friend’s birthday or promotion. Below, we’re sharing 7 ways that you can let your friends and family know that you’re celebrating with them even though you’re far away:

Have food delivered to their house. No birthday is complete without the celebrant’s favorite dishes and desserts. Even if your loved one can’t go to their favorite restaurant on their birthday, that doesn’t mean that they can’t enjoy their favorite food. Whip up their favorite dishes yourself or order it from a restaurant and have the food delivered to their place. They’ll definitely enjoy their quarantine birthday celebration a lot more.

Give them a set of comfy clothes. You can also give your friends a cute pajama sleepwear set from Justice or other reputable online stores. Pajamas are comfortable and can be made of cotton, fleece, flannel, silk, nylon, bamboo hybrids, and linen. It can be difficult to buy clothes when you don’t live with the person you’re going to gift it to, but pajamas and other loose-fitting clothes are different. You can buy a pair that’s a few sizes bigger than what the celebrant usually wears to make sure that it fits. In addition to pajamas, you can also send them a waffle bathrobe or wearable accessories like hats and relaxing socks. 

Give them a gift of their favorite alcohol. During quarantine, alcohol is something that most people would likely have a stash of at home. This is especially true for people who have birthdays coming up. Get the birthday celebrant another bottle of their favorite alcohol to save them some money and allow them to skip one trip to the grocery store for a booze run. Suppose you’re looking for a unique alcohol gift-giving experience. In that case, you can also create a homemade cocktail to celebrate with friends. Watch online cocktail-making and bartending videos for amazing tips to make your at-home virtual party celebration more special.

Suggest a new outfit for their virtual birthday party. Get in touch with family members and friends to plan an outfit together for the celebrant. Assign each participant a piece of clothing, and once the outfit is complete, send your group gift. There are very few reasons to get dressed while cooped up at home, so this gift and a Zoom party will motivate the celebrant to glam up and look their best on their special day. A costume or cartoon-character-themed virtual party celebration is a good idea. Virtual attendees can wear a do-it-yourself or homemade costume of their favorite superheroes or movie character. The best in costume will win a cool prize, like a digital shopping voucher or personalized mug. 

Send them a surprise package from their favorite online store. Do you know what the birthday celebrant’s favorite brands are? Getting them something from one of those brands on their birthday is another good gift idea. They’ll surely appreciate an unexpected package arriving at their doorstep from a brand that they frequently shop from. If you’re not sure what they like, you can also opt to give them gift certificates. Many brands and online marketplaces offer gift certificates in varying denominations. Choose gift certificates without expiry dates (most gift vouchers expire in six to 12 months), so your friend can use them online or in physical stores. You can take photos of the gift certificates, especially if they have QR codes. That way, you can help your friends use them even if they forgot the physical gift certificates at home.

Prepare an e specially curated playlist. If you and the celebrant like the same artists or simply love music, you can create a playlist full of songs that remind you of your most cherished memories together. That playlist can give them something new to listen to and is a nice 2020 update to the classic mixtape. A great alternative to a music playlist is a movie playlist, giving the birthday celebrant a collection of downloaded popular movies for an unlimited fun viewing experience.

Give them post-dated personal coupons. If the celebrant insists on hosting a birthday with you and your friends and family after quarantine, why not give them something else to look forward to as well? You can create coupons with acts of service or special experiences to be redeemed by the celebrant after quarantine. By sending a coupon for a simple hug or a lavish night out, you can encourage each other to expect better, happier things while waiting for the lockdown to end. 

There are many ways to show you care, from sending a thoughtful package and delivering home-cooked food to their doorstep, to activities and acts of service that you can do together once it’s safe to host a party again. How are you planning to celebrate a friend or family member’s birthday or milestone this year?