Special birthdays in lockdown

My husband was 70 2 weeks ago.
We had a family zoom with our 2 sons dil s and 4 grandchildren in the morning to open presents. I set up a whats app group of friends and family and asked them to send in video wishes which my granddaughter (age10) made into an iMovie (app on iPhone) with help from our son. There were 24 little videos. Our other son put together a photo selection with music of photos through the years. It was hard photographing old photos and sending them by iCloud. His cousins - one in Australia- sent me old pictures via email.
My husband was in bits - he absolutely loved it all and will treasure it. He has watched it several times since.
In the afternoon we had another family zoom with quizzes set by the grandkids (10 &7 - 10&7) one of which was questions about grandad! We then sang happy birthday and lit the 70 candle I put on top of his tiffin cake and we opened champagne here.
My son also arranged a meal from Sam’s chop house in Manchester which was delivered on the Sunday lunchtime which we cooked in the evening -rib eye steak etc. During the day 4 sets of neighbours called with cards and gifts on the doorstep with social distance. Our family don’t live near one son lives abroad and the other is an hour away.
My husband absolutely loved his day and said he thought he had had more attention than he might have had ordinarily. He has said the day has come and gone and there is no need to celebrate it again when we’re out of lockdown. When we can manage to get together as a family we will drink a toast with champagne and remember the lovely lockdown birthday

We’ve had “special” events too but I’ve always hated celebrations. Quite happy for others to celebrate however just not for me or my husband.

My DD will be 40 in two weeks' time. She was planning to invite DH and me, and her brother and sister-in-law to Majorca for the weekend. She loves family get togethers and parties and is dreading spending her birthday on her own. She is single and lives many miles away from the rest of us. We will "meet up" via Zoom on the day and we are ordering cocktails and a birthday tea to be delivered to us all to share online. I dread the moment when we have to end the Zoom session and feel miserable at the thought of her being left on her own for the rest of the evening.

I share a birthday with DGD1 who was 10 in April. She was in NZ at the time. We did our best with the 12 hour difference. They zoomed at 0700 an we wished each other a happy birthday, opened our presents and she went to bed! Rather sad day!

We had our golden wedding in Dec 2020 and its my 70th in June this year. Fingers crossed.

As a family, we've all had birthdays either in complete lockdown, or during various restrictions.
All rather more lowkey than would be normal.
On February 20th, it was my 75th birthday.
Our DD arranged a zoom link up with family & friends, with a talk & photos of the 1940's from a local historian.
It could have been boring, but he made it very interesting, quite light hearted, considering it covered bits from the war & from the 1947 floods, All connecting the parts of Norfolk, where I was born & brought up, & Cambridgeshire, where we've lived the past 52 years.

That should say caring

I was 70 in August and we managed to get away as it was between lockdowns. Just the 3 of us in our bubble spent the actual day in a beach hut with a take away breakfast plus fizz. My daughter was 40 last week so we joined her for pizza, fireworks and fizz. She lives alone but we had a lovely time in our bubble.
A friend was 70 last week so I made her an afternoon tea of cheese #cone, plain scone, strawberry jam, blueberry muffin and lemon drizzle cake.
We all loved getting cards and flowers on the day with promises of lunches/ afternoon tea/ garden meet ups/ weekends away when we can do it. It is the daring which matters most

I turned 60 last April. I had had all sorts of plans but in the event DH and I went DH for a walk in the woods, he cooked me a nice meal and we Skyped with DD and family.

I was seventy last year, in October. My daughter arranged for balloons to be delivered and an afternoon tea to be delivered, all the way from Canada, where she was living at the time. I ordered myself, a birthday cake for work. Also had a zoom call with my son and daughter. I was able to go out for a meal at a hotel.

Weve had an 80th a 60th a 30th and our grandson was 10 I think it was hardest for him not seeing his friends or having a party etc all the grown ups have just deferred theirs until we can all get together and have one massive party

DH was 80 last September, our DDs (who were in our bubble) took us to Scarborough to pick up SiL, then took us to the farm where DH and Sil had been brought up. The current farmer showed us round. DH was thrilled. We then went to chippie and ate them outside, wonderful! We were then driven home. Had our evening meal at DD1s then took SiL back to our house where she stayed overnight. Next day we drove her back to Scarborough, stopping at the beautiful Thornton Dale for lunch and on the way back Helmsley for afternoon tea - He was thrilled with his celebration!

It was my 70th birthday last summer. A family day at the seaside with all our children and grandchildren was planned. Cancelled. As both daughters live locally and there is a park 5 minutes walk from our house we had two mini celebrations, one with each D, SIL and 2 GC as the "rule of six" meeting in the park was allowed, inbetween lockdowns. We were unable to see our son and his family as they live 200 miles away. We still haven't met our 6 month old GD, very sad.

I’ll be having a big birthday after the April 12th relaxations but before the next phase in June. I’m so lucky to have a kind, generous and loving family but I hate any fuss. I really have to put on a big act when it happens. Of course I want the lockdown to end but selfishly wish it could be after my birthday!

In the road where we live, we have a Whats App group in case anybody needs anything. It was DH 70th birthday on the 2nd January and I put a message on Whats App to ask if anybody would be up for singing Happy Birthday on the doorstep at an agreed time. Nearly everyone agreed and at 8pm they all came out on the doorstep waving torches and singing Happy Birthday. One couple had crept up in advance and put 2 cocktails on the roof of my car and when I opened the door, another neighbour was just outside playing Happy Birthday on his clarinet. We don't know all of them very well, but they ceratinly got into the spirit and gave DH a wonderful surprise!

Cousins celebrated their Golden Wedding Anniversary last week. Their son worked very hard getting as many family and friends from across the globe to send him a short video or message and photo and collaborated them all into a video that the couple watched on the day. It was lovely. Not sure, but I think the link he used was share.vidday.com.

I turned 70 at end of January myDH 67 and my DD 40 both mid February. We had planned a joint holiday in Madeira. Instead we had a home celebration with DD SIL and DGS as we are in a bubble and had all had our first jabs. Did a Greek meze for our meal with plenty of champagne, balloons and party poppers. Good time had by all.

I have had 2 birthdays lockdown, both my 59th and 60th. I don't have a close family, so I just carried on as normal. It's also our 25th wedding anniversary in September, I don't like fuss, as previous days of what should've been happy, are spoilt by my daughters. You see I have mental health issues, which I have on going support for, my sons are lovely towards me, but I can't do anything right for my daughters, I've tried so hard apologising for my past mistakes, I've been told I've over compensated for being unwell, by giving them all they wanted. I can't keep it up, and now they're using abuse as a weapon against me. This makes me so unhappy that I have tried ending it, especially when they use my grandchildren to punish me, I love them dearly, and I did have a great relationship with my grandchildren. I've tried so hard, to be what they want me to be, but they just up their game all the time. It's just that I can't tolerate the abuse, so I don't like to celebrate occasions, it just leads me to remember what a failure I am.

I was 70 last September and the planned cruise obviously didn’t happen, however I had a brilliant day out on the Solent with my DH, DD SiL and GDs. we enjoyed beautiful weather, sunny but cold, stopped at a restaurant for a meal managed to see a seal basking near the IOW and went home for the lovely birthday cake my DH had arranged to be made. I felt very loved and lucky. Once this pandemic is all over and it’s safe to travel again, I’m sure we’ll have another celebration ?

In the past year I was 80, DS was 40 and DD 50. My little GD was 4, and we had a new baby GS arrive last May, whom we have yet to meet ‘in the flesh.’
I’m not really bothered about parties, but once we are free to mingle again it will be wonderful to catch up with everyone.

We have had 2 special birthdays during lockdown!! My DD’s 40th was last June and my DH had his 80th last October!! For my DD we had a surprise Zoom get together. We invited her close friends & family. We had a selection of photos, taken throughout her life set to music. We had a few games and quizzes and her DH had a cake made. We all wore plain white T-Shirts with a slogan related to DD and all the children made an appearance to sing happy birthday. It was actually a lot more fun than I’ve made it sound. It was far removed from the trips away and get together she had planned but it was better than not celebrating at all!! She received lots of cards, gifts and flowers too.
My DH & I had planned a trip away but spent the day at home with lots of FaceTime calls & cards & gifts being delivered. We had a takeaway of his choice for dinner and he thoroughly enjoyed his day. Lots of companies are catering to the personalised card & gift delivery market now. Also some boxed flower bouquets are available online.

DH had his 70th in November. We threw caution to the wind .
I mentioned we are having a small get together to the nearest neighbors they didn’t report us.
Our AC stayed in their family groups social distancing.
Presents were put into a large lucky dip.
Luckily our lounge is a good size.
We had a home delivery of food. Plenty of ventilation in the room .But no hugs.
It wasn’t the same.

I arranged for a breakfast box from a well known Chef’s company in Cornwall- to be delivered for my OH’s birthday. Not cheap. Arrived at 11,30! Okay we had brunch but I complained and they wouldn’t agree the time was unacceptable. Mr RS making more money!

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I had my 79 birthday last week. I live alone and am housebound. My family and friends posted cards and gifts to me plus I received 3 lots of flowers ? via post on the day, so even though I was alone I wasn't forgotten.

We have had a whole raft of 'special' birthdays - my sister was 80 just after the first lockdown, a surprise afternoon tea party had been planned for a huge crowd, her DH and DD had to tell her what they had planned and there were tears, but she did have a lovely day - we all made a video for her with our greetings, her DD who lives nearby decorated her garden before she woke up and provided her with gourmet meals, and we all chatted to her during the day. Next was my niece who had planned a big 50th party, that has been re-scheduled for same date this year - hopefully will go ahead as it is in August. Then in January my DH was 70 - we had a great day - our 'kids' put together a video of all our friends singing his team's song and adding greetings which we all watched together courtesy of Zoom. Loads of friends delivered gifts/cards and I made a cake and we had a little Zoom party with a few friends to blow his candles out, I then delivered them some cake and posted some to DD and DS. DH said in a way his birthday was more special as people made an effort to get in touch- we would have had a party at the golf club in normal times. Last was DS's 40th - we made a compilation of photos of him set to music, interspersed with greetings from old uni mates and the like, he also had a Virtual Beer Tasting with his drinking buddies, and we had a 40 themed family quiz too. We are promising a family trip somewhere once we are allowed! But the saddest was DD2 who was supposed to get married in December - deferred to this coming December, which hopefully will work out, but don't think family from Australia will be able to come over, which will be very sad. There is another family 50th and another 80th before we will be allowed to freely celebrate, but we have lots of ideas now!!