With lockdown 3.0 still in full effect, it can be hard to find the motivation to celebrate some of the most treasured celebrations in our personal calendars, like birthdays.
Here's our guide on how to celebrate with your nearest and dearest, all while taking social distancing protocols and local guidelines (in our case, from the Québec government) into consideration!
Pre-Party Planning
Pre-celebration planning may now involve less visits to table-booking websites— but invitations, fabulous themes and great at-home food are still a great way to mark those special occasions!
For milestone birthdays, tailoring e-invitations and even postal invitations are a good place to start and yes this can still be done, even if its slipped under the bedroom doors of your housemates or emailed to your loved ones who will be joining you on video call. The key to all of this is not forgetting that communication is simply the most important, it begins with choosing and sharing a platform for the digital event. Google Hangouts, Zoom and FaceTime are the most common options.
Once you choose a platform, it’s time to not only send invites but also send instructions on how to join — the more detailed, the better. Send the instructions like you are sending them to a 5-year-old, not all of your friends are super tech-savvy. If there's one thing BALLÖOM has taught me, is to making things dummy-proof, like sending a screenshot and circling things to click, or in our case, on a map when we are doing deliveries (this trick has saved us countless trips to wrong adresses while doing deliveries around Montreal!).
After, you've emailed, posted or even texted the key information for the event (i.e the dress code, what they'll need in their own homes and that all important virtual-party dress code) you can begin to decide on themes, decor and the form of your celebration. If you need some help with decorations or backdrops, make sure to check our SHOP! We have a big collection of different packages for all kinds of celebrations, our services include delivery in Montreal and surroundings areas and we are following all local guidelines in terms of delivery and setup arrangements!

Once date, decor and possibly dining room dancing are all sorted you can start to think about any fun activities and ideas for you lockdown party. Lucky for us all, there are plenty of fun things that arrive purely by post these days, so you are sure to find something to suit everyone type of person, so you’ve got plenty of party options to choose from.
Think age appropriately
All the experts agree each age demographic has its own unique wants and needs out of a digital birthday party, starting from the youngest set, who may be missing birthday parties the most.
YOUNG KIDS
Scavenger hunt at home: Everyone loves to feel like a winner, especially kids celebrating their birthdays. Here's a great SCAVENGER HUNT KIT (with a walkie-talkie and all!) for the birthday star to follow until he or she reaches the final prize — a birthday present.

Create a ball pit: Keep the birthday VIP happy and preoccupied for hours in a homemade ball pit. Here is a great value BALL PIT from Amazon, all you need is a few bags of BALLS also from Amazon, and you are all set! If your budget permits, this BOUNCEY CASTLE will for sure be a winner for years to come as well!
Quick virtual party: Invite both kids and parents for a Zoom catch-up. But keep it brief. Let them know in advance that you will sing a Happy Birthday and keep it short but sweet.
KIDS UNDER 13
Children deserve an epic birthday no matter what’s happening in the world around them. The key here is to keep it tight.
Quick virtual party: Again, Invite both kids and parents for an online catch-up. But keep it brief, these can be as short as 30 minutes.
Create together: Send out a a LEGO BUILDING SET or PLAY-DOH PACK to all guests along with your invite, so parents and kids can get creative together during the event.
Get the neighbours involved: For extra cool points, get the neighbourhood involved in your child’s birthday with a neighbourhood “safari” or "princess castles". Ask the neighbours to place various stuffed animals or dolls on their porches or lawns so you and your child can walk (or drive depending on weather) and spot the animals or dolls, checking them off a pre-made list along the way.

TEENS
All the experts agree; it’s best to leave the teens alone during their virtual hangouts. Not only are they likely more tech-savvy, but they won't appreciate too much structure. However, one thing we suggest is to provide virtual invitations with a set start and end time so everyone can enjoy the party together.
Stream a movie together: If there’s one thing teens love to do it’s going to the movies. If it's too cold to prep a backyard movie night, you can use TeleParty, which allows friends to watch together and chat at the same time. (Sorry, no holding hands in the back row though.)
Make something: Now’s the time to bring back a sleepover classic: send out these Amazon's Best-Seller FRIENDSHIP BRACELET KITS to all your guests (still somehow a thing, but super fun) and create them together!
Get dancing: In case you haven’t noticed, the youths are all about TikTok. What better way to spend a birthday than by dancing with your friends? Record the final attempt and upload it to the app!
King or queen for the day: Every teenager deserves to feel like the boss, even if it’s only for 24 hours. Make them the queen or king of the castle for one day and do everything they say with these BOYS SASH AND CROWN or GIRLS SASH AND TIARA (that goes double for younger siblings).
Adopt a Pet: Share your birthday with a “gotcha day” for a new furry family member. Check with your local humane society for adoptable pets.
Family game night: Bring the entire family together around the table for a good old-fashioned game night. Allow the person whose birthday you’re celebrating to pick the game (and maybe even give them a head start since it’s their day).

21st BIRTHDAY QUEEN
We have a special Blog Post for all of you 21-to-be-Queenies HERE!
30/40's
For the grown folks out there, it all comes down to one thing: Cocktail time.
Plan the event for after the kids go to bed, bust out the top-shelf goodies and log on with your friends. Want to level up? We suggest you require everyone to bring a plus-one so “you can grow your circle of friends in the real world too.” You can even send all of your guests these COCKTAIL KITS to make it even fancier!
Create a cocktail together: Rather than have everyone pour their own drink, choose one (or several) to make together! Learn something new, like a FRENCH 75 to expand your horizons. Again, send out instructions to friends for your preferred platform (Zoom or Google Hangouts) along with a specific time to log on. Try 6 p.m. Pacific/ 9 p.m. Eastern so you can bring your coast-to-coast friends together.
Dance: Not into drinking? That’s OK, you can all come together for a choreography dance class instead. CBC shared a few choreography videos in this link that you don't want to miss! Make sure you send the link along with your instructions, FaceTime your friends, log on, and practice (and laugh a lot) together!
Throw a virtual theme party: Who doesn’t love a theme? Let the person celebrating a birthday pick the theme (think: Tiger Kings and Queens, Pyjama Jam or Prom Night), and log on wearing your best outfits.
Relax with a spa day: Sometimes, the best celebration is no celebration at all. Create an at-home spa for your own birthday or the birthday of a loved one by ordering bath salts, scented candles, your own facial masks and a few magazines. Make the spa experience complete by having a fancy glass with lemon water on hand!
Take a baking challenge: Accomplish new feats of greatness in the kitchen by baking a gourmet confection. Try something unique like a Mocha Chocolate Cake or go for a Basic Chocolate Cake for a thick slice of goodness worthy of a few candles!
Take a Hike: Sometimes we just need a little fresh air and space, a hike is perfect for that. Celebrate a new year with making memories and setting new goals as you explore the beauty of nature.
LASTLY, BUT DEFINITELY NOT LEAST — 50+
If there’s one group that needs to feel the love right now, it’s those over 50. As the demographic most at risk, it’s their time to feel special. For their birthdays, we can celebrate by gathering online or delivering them a bit of joy at home.
Create a virtual scrapbook: Ask everyone involved to email a favorite photo along with a brief memory, then upload it to free services like Canva for a virtual keepsake they can have forever!
Video Greetings: Services like Tribute.co and Vidday make it easy for friends and family to create a video tribute or video card. Send out a link and friends and family can create a video clip to be added to a compilation for the birthday person.
Hold a surprise reunion: For a milestone birthday like 50, 60 or 75, host a virtual “This Is Your Life” event. Bring on new surprise guests as the night goes on and ask them to share their favorite moments with the person celebrating a birthday.
Host a wisdom hour with children and grandchildren: There’s nothing parents love more than sharing their wisdom. Indulge them by hosting an hourlong virtual event where the person celebrating their birthday can impart their pearls of wisdom with abandon.
Deliver their favorite things: Order up the birthday celebrator’s favorite restaurant meals, wines and desserts for delivery. As a bonus, this helps support local shops too.
Form a drive-by caravan: It’s still OK to see someone as long as you stay six feet apart. Keep it safe by creating a caravan of cars, each one decorated with streamers and balloons, playing the same song, and drive by the birthday celebrator’s house to show a little love.
In these times, remember that it is the thought that counts. In a world where we overcomplicate things, sometimes there are moments that are stand-alone that still bring smiles.

We have no shortage of ideas when it comes to social distancing birthday parties for adults, but send us yours if we left a good one out!
How are you celebrating your quarantine birthday party? There are so many ways you can have fun and make the best of the situation while we stay safe and protect others in our community, let's spread happiness and positivity!
What are you celebrating today?
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