Corona-era milestone birthday celebration

amother

Wed, Feb 10 2021, 1:21 pm

DH will be 50 in a few months. If life were normal I'd plan a big surprise party.

Life isn't normal. I keep reading posts about people getting together for big unmasked simchas, but that doesn't go on where I live. People are afraid.

So please, your best creative suggestions for how to celebrate this day in a meaningful and fun way.

amother

Goldenrod

Wed, Feb 10 2021, 1:24 pm

Surprise zoom party and decorate the room plus gift of course- coordinate with friends and family so you can have a program and everyone gets to speak play game etc everyone can sing happy birthday together as you bring in and cut cake...depending upon you and time you can secretly ask people to write about him memories funny or otherwise plus send in pix and make a scrap album to be presented to him at the party.
Mazel Tov!

fleetwood

Wed, Feb 10 2021, 1:25 pm

We invited everyone to come on zoom, friends and family..he enjoyed seeing everyone.

amother

Burlywood

Wed, Feb 10 2021, 1:28 pm

I have been asked more than once to video myself about a memory of the person (how we met/lasting impression/middah/funny story/dvar Torah...) and then someone collects the 90 second-5 minute videos and makes a nice video for the person.
IMO-lovely for the receipt, horrible or those of us who are camera shy and now need to be in it, need a person with some tech. ability. (But at 50, you may have a DC who can do it)

amother

Seashell

Wed, Feb 10 2021, 1:32 pm

In a few months it will be warm outside. You can't do a surprise drinks and meet and greet outdoors?

amother

Wed, Feb 10 2021, 1:39 pm

amother [ Seashell ] wrote:

In a few months it will be warm outside. You can't do a surprise drinks and meet and greet outdoors?

Maybe if it were a stand up sort of thing. Just drinks and passed hors d'oeuvres. And even then many might not come. Hopefully things improve. Most people we know are pretty freaked out and isolated.

amother

Wed, Feb 10 2021, 1:41 pm

Hoping for non-zoom celebration. It just isn't remotely the same. Sad

If it is zoom - anything to make it extra unique and not just yet another zoom?

amother

Maroon

Wed, Feb 10 2021, 2:13 pm

Use the benefits of Zoom, which is to be able to bring people on who would otherwise never be there, either because they're too far or because they're peripheral. So you could get relatives from all over, or get help to create a reunion of his high school class or his group of friends growing up. Ask people to show old pictures or objects if they can. And definitely have people send videos if they can't log on. You'll be giving a gift to all those involved, because everyone is searching for connections these days.

And you can do both this and a small outdoor celebration.

Bleemee

Wed, Feb 10 2021, 2:14 pm

Can 50 people send handwritten cards? Maybe include prompts as suggestions for people to use so that the card is meaningful and not generic.

amother

Orange

Wed, Feb 10 2021, 10:22 pm

I had a significant birthday a couple of months ago. Happened to be that I didn't feel like celebrating much for various reasons but DH surprised me with a Zoom with my parents and siblings and families with a Kahoot trivia game all about me that was a lot of fun. My siblings also ordered takeout for us and made arrangements to have it dropped off.