How to celebrate a birthday when you’re stuck at home {Win!}

Stuck at home, on the brink of celebrating a birthday, and you’re not exactly sure how you’re going to do any celebrating at all? Well then, friend, this post is for you!

Due to the current Covid-19 pandemic, lock down birthdays are now a thing. And, I mean, you’re probably considering the fact that you kinda need, well, other people in order to put the “party” into “birthday party”. And you’re not wrong. But there are ways and means to celebrate the birthday boy/girl, even though you’re limited on people and resources.

I love birthdays! And I believe that the only real bummer, about a solid birthday celebration, is not having a solid birthday celebration. And you can quote me on that!

Anyways, before I break into song, dance and monologue, allow me to share with you my list of ways to celebrate a birthday when you’re stuck at home:

1. Decorations

Decorating a room in the house, as a surprise, is an easy and cheap way to make a birthday guy/gal feel special! A sneaky late night set up will have your special person waking up to a gloriously festive birthday hoorah in the morning! Here are some ideas:

A balloon wall – All I’m saying is that balloons have the magical powers to make any room feel a lot more festive. There are no hard rules when it comes to this. The more balloons the better! A balloon wall  would most definitely impress. Find an easy tutorial here.

Streamers pinned to the door frame – Who wouldn’t want to open their bedroom door, on the morning of their birthday, to find this colorful surprise awaiting them?! Tutorial here.

Make your own bunting – I did this for Jonah’s birthday. His “lock down birthday” theme was Obnoxious Spiderman which is my way of saying that I made sure to incorporate as many images of Spiderman in the decor. He’s 3 years old, and Spidey is his hero, so this totally made his day. Tutorial here.

 2. Presents

So we figured out that Jonah was super excited to open a ton of gifts because he had been eyeing all the gifts his sister received at her birthday party. Since we were unable to invite guests to celebrate with him, that meant that there would be no pile of presents for him to open. So we decided to get him a bunch of smaller gifts (things like color in books and crayons, small games, puzzles etc) and wrapped them up individually so that he would have his very own “birthday party gift pile” to indulge in.

3. Drive and Drop

I know that drive-by parties are all the rage and if you have friends and family members who would be keen to do a drive and drop, then that’s swell! Make it extra festive with balloons and a sign that says “Hoot once for the birthday boy!” displayed outside. Birthday boy/girl could have their own special chair set up, so that they can bestow their royal birthday wave, as their friends drive by.

If you don’t want your guests to leave empty handed, a slice of birthday cake, in a takeaway box, will do the trick. (For teens, how about a slice of pizza?) And again, this is particularly helpful if you have friends and family members who are looking for an opportunity to celebrate with you, and want to drop off a prezi.

4. Fun activities

You could totes make the day fun by arranging a cool scavenger hunt (ooh, hide away the gifts and design a real treasure map!) or by playing backyard or board games with your family. A “game show birthday party” is a fun way to bring some extra glitz and glamour to your celebrations. The usual foray of birthday party games (pin the tail on the donkey, musical chairs) are always a hit and will definitely help to keep the energy up!

5. Virtual fiesta

We fortunately have the technology to stay in touch, even though we can’t physically be in the same room. You may consider hosting a Zoom, FaceTime, WhatsApp, Skype or House Party celebration.

Teens might prefer connecting with their buddies via Xbox or Playstation online gaming. Yep, it’s totally a thing now, parents. I know, I suddenly feel old too.

6. Cake!

I mean, without cake is a party a party? (The correct answer is “heck no”) I knew that I wanted to go big with Jonah’s birthday cake, so I called in an expert to assist.

I had been eyeing the creations over on the Whole Latte Love Facebook page and knew that Leanne would nail my Spiderman birthday cake idea. Leanne’s love for baking started when she tried her hand at making her nieces and nephews birthday cakes. People were kinda impressed with her skill (also, guys, this cake is flippen delicious!) and word got out, which resulted in the start of a little business.

When I asked for a list of flavours to choose from, these were the ones that I had my eye on:
Chocolate chip cake with caramel and chocolate ganache
Chocolate cake with chocolate fudge buttercream
Mint chocolate chip cake with mint buttercream and chocolate pieces
Vanilla cake with vanilla buttercream / Swiss meringue buttercream
Carrot cake filled with homemade caramel and salted caramel buttercream
Red velvet cake with Oreo pieces and Oreo cream cheese icing
Hummingbird cake with cream cheese icing
Lemon meringue cake filled with lemon curd and covered with toasted meringue
Toffee apple cake filled with homemade caramel and cinnamon buttercream

I know what you’re thinking… YUM! I ended up choosing the chocolate cake with chocolate fudge buttercream because chocolate “cakey” is my boys absolute favorite. The price was quite reasonable and she ended up totally making all my Spidey birthday cake dreams come true. Plus she delivers during lock down. If that isn’t rad, then I don’t know what is!

Other treats available:
Brownies (available in different flavours!), Blondies, Cupcakes (available in a variety of flavours), Cheesecake mousse cakes, Profiteroles, Eclairs, Lammingtons, Cinnamon rolls and more! You can place your order via Facebook.

Win a dozen cupcakes for from Whole Latte Love!

Guess what my friends *I say, dramatically, with tears in my eyes* …. Whole Latte Love is giving one of you a dozen of her most delicious cupcakes, to help you celebrate that special ‘lock down birthday’! I KNOW! I’m not crying, you’re crying! Okay, I’m totally crying.

To enter, simply check out this post on Facebook and follow the instructions there.

Winner will be announced on Friday 3 July. Winner must reside in Port Elizabeth and must be able to collect cupcakes in Sherwood.