Here’s how families are
A s we all adjust to life in lockdown, one big change many
families have had to make is how they celebrate birthdays.

It’s disappointing that in-person parties can’t happen right
now, but birthdays during coronavirus have the opportunity to be
even more memorable. All it takes is a little bit of creativity and
planning. Kimberly Neal of Catonsville was supposed to celebrate her 40th
birthday on March 25 by flying to Italy with her husband. Instead of
waking up early to catch a flight, however, she woke to a front yard
decorated by neighbors with wine bottles, balloons and a huge “40
and Fine as Wine” sign.

Neal’s family planned a fun-filled day that included yoga at home
and take out from her favorite restaurants. She even dressed up for
dinner in a black cocktail dress with a tulle skirt, did her hair and
makeup and wore a 40th tiara bedazzled in rhinestones.

“My husband grilled steaks, and he, my son, and I ate dinner using
fine china and crystal. The entire day was amazing,” says Neal.

When Neal’s son turned eight a few weeks later, he chatted with
friends and family on Zoom and happily rode his bike all day. “In
these situations, you have to make lemonade from lemons,” she says.

Turning something disappointing into something amazing is
what Colleen Watson did for her six-year-old son, Mason, who was
going to have his birthday party in March at a local Ninja Warrior
course. Instead, the Potomac mom coordinated a birthday parade with
more than 30 friends wishing him a happy birthday from bikes and
cars decked out with balloons and streamers.

“At first, he was really sad because we couldn’t have his party,
but then he was so happy with the amount of people that came by.

All his classmates, family and friends. It was really special,” says
Watson. “He especially loved when people threw out candy to him.

He said it was the best birthday party ever.”
When Mason’s friend Ryan turned six on April 1, his mom,
22 Washington FAMILY MAY 2020



by Adranisha Stephens
birthdays in quarantine
Erika Schor, came up with another inventive way to make her son’s
birthday feel more personal.

“We asked all his classmates and teachers and family to send us a
short video wishing him a happy birthday or singing a song,” explains
Schor. “Then we made one long video of all the videos together and
showed it to him the night of his birthday. He loved it.”
In Bel Air, a group of friends did something similar to celebrate
Mia Salvatierra’s Sweet 16. They collected happy birthday messages
and compiled them into one video for Mia to watch when she woke
up. They also drove to her house, honking their horns and holding
up signs.

“She was thrilled,” says her father, Ed. “I’m sure she will remember
those gestures for a lifetime.”
But birthday drive-bys and video messages aren’t the only way to
celebrate birthdays during quarantine. Now that we’re all proficient
on Zoom, virtual parties are becoming a popular alternative.

A Zoom party is what Tiana Petersen of Chantilly is now planning
instead of the pool party her son Matt originally wanted for his sixth
birthday in May. Petersen says she plans to bake cupcakes, package
them with sprinkles and frosting and deliver them in boxes on his
friends’ doorsteps.

“Then we can have a Zoom meeting, and everyone can decorate
their cupcakes together,” she says.

Even though parties have been downgraded to home celebrations, the
main takeaway is that there are still so many ways to connect, says Martha
Edwards, a mom from Towson. Edwards and her daughter, Maggie,
recently put together a little gift for Maggie’s friend’s 15th birthday
that included a roll of toilet paper.

“What do we all miss the most on our birthdays? We miss hanging out
with our friends and family. I’ve seen so many people using Zoom and
FaceTime for virtual happy hours, and now, virtual birthday parties,”
Edwards says. “Everyone can still sing, talk and share well wishes. There
are so many ways we can all be creative and make it work.” n
©iStockphoto.com/Balloons, Julia_Sudnitskaya; Camera, svetikd;
Birthday Boy, GlobalStock; Mask, coscaron; Birthday girl, mediaphotos; Confetti girl, evgenyatamanenko, Tablet, wikipedia
WashingtonFAMILY.com 23