For those with birthdays in March 2020 made for some unforgettable and unusual celebrations. A year on, and some are being forced to celebrate in lockdown once again. But thankfully, people haven’t lost their creative spirit and determination.
Whether it’s a socially distanced picnic, a VidDay celebration, or a pinata of hand sanitizer, we love to hear stories of people overcoming adversity and coming together.
This story in the Washington Post is a recent favorite of ours:
“For some, the occasion of a second pandemic birthday can conjure wistful memories of a first. Nicole Shanique had what promised to be a life-altering 35th birthday. She was headed from her home in New York to London on her first solo trip, and she was beyond excited.
Her flight would have been March 13.
“I was very, very sad on the day of. I was ready to push myself out of my comfort zone,” Shanique said. The idea of traveling to a foreign country by herself as a woman originally gave her pause, but she planned to push through her fear. She never got the chance.
So, this year, the idea of planning anything just feels exhausting — she doesn’t want her hopes dashed again. Instead, she’s going to wait until things normalize and finally take her trip. If nothing else, she’s grateful nothing like this ruined her childhood birthdays.
“We’re adults. We can say, ‘Ok, fine. This happened. We’ll do something else,’ ” Shanique said. “But if you’re a kid and this happens to you, I can’t even imagine.”
Parker Boynton can. Her first pandemic birthday in April originally promised to be a true barnburner by a 4-year-old’s standards. She’d been talking about it nonstop for months, said her mom, Kelly Boynton. It was going to be her first big birthday party.
Instead, Kelly was forced to improvise. She used the video service VidDay to compile birthday messages from Parker’s preschool teachers, classmates, and extended family.
“We sat her down on her birthday and played it for her,” Kelly said. “She replayed it another five times.”
What have you done to spice up a first or second birthday during the pandemic? It can be tricky trying to muster up ideas — but we got you.
If you’re making a VidDay to celebrate a friend’s birthday, try sharing a memory or even singing their favorite song if you’re up to it!
Before you get started, you can always check out our helpful guide on how to start a VidDay birthday video. Or use our live chat to speak to our helpful customer support.
Share your pandemic celebration stories in the comments, or tag us on social media! We love to hear our customers’ ingenuity shining through, and you never know — you might inspire someone.
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