Last week, I celebrated my birthday. The night before, Los Angeles announced that the city was in lockdown. I certainly didn’t feel celebratory. But I woke up in the morning and practiced gratitude (I wrote a whole post about how having a birthday during the coronavirus shifted my attitude about my age).

You know what? I haven’t felt so loved on my birthday in years! The only silver lining of everyone having to stay at home is that friends and family have more time to talk to you. I spent the entire day FaceTiming with loved ones and had a dinner date and drinks with friends over virtual parties.

My birthday is the last day of Pisces. So if you’re an Aries, you’ll probably be celebrating your birthday from home this year. But don’t worry. It can be still be full of love and happiness. Here are my tips on how to celebrate your birthday during a quarantine…

get glam

I haven’t been wearing much makeup these days but on my birthday I decided I wanted to get a little glam. I threw on some makeup and added statement earrings to my loungewear outfit of the day. Just a little blush and sparkle made the world of difference to my mood.

FaceTime Dates

I cannot begin to tell you how many FaceTime dates I had on my birthday. It’s such a simple way to feel connected with loved ones. When you get a text saying “Happy Birthday,” reply with a thank you and ask if that person wants to FaceTime. It’s so nice to hear kind words face to face, well screen to screen, but you know what I mean.

Virtual Parties

For a nighttime celebration, I organized virtual parties with two sets of friend groups. Zoom makes it super easy to video conference multiple people at a time. You can all pour a glass of wine or sparkling water and cheers together through your computer screens. If you’re just toasting with two friends, you can always FaceTime like I did with An and Sheryl.

Game Night

I didn’t utilize this app but a friend did and I think it’s genius! Houseparty lets you play virtual games with your friends on your phone. You can do a game night with Heads Up or Trivia with tons of celebratory laughs.

fresh blooms

I don’t know about you, but flowers majorly brighten my mood. Unfortunately most local florists have had to shut down. But Bouqs is still shipping flowers from local farmers. When you sign up and put in your birthday, you automatically get a coupon code. So why not send some flowers to yourself to celebrate?!

fundraise

Instead of asking for gifts, I asked my friends and family to help me fundraise. Over on Instagram, I put up a donation button to encourage people to help out Feeding America, who is helping to bring food to those in need during these tough times. My #ssInstaFam donated $750… so I matched their generous gifts and together we raised $1,500! It felt so good to help those in need on my birthday. There are a lot of ways you can do donation buttons, either through Instagram or Facebook. Every little bit helps. And when you help others, you feel good in return.

Other ideas?

• Bake a cake or cupcakes while FaceTiming with a friend
• Host a Netflix party by watching a show with friends on FaceTime or Zoom
• Take a virtual trip to a museum (here’s a list of where to visit online)
• Order delivery from your favorite local restaurant
• Live stream a dance class and get your booty shaking
• Or take this little girl’s advice and just have a party with imaginary friends

However you celebrate your birthday during the quarantine I hope it’s filled with lots of love like mine was. And if you want a happy birthday wish, shoot me a DM on Instagram and let me know the date of your special day!

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