As my 8 year old’s birthday was approaching, I felt so much pressure to make the day special for her.  Last year we took her out of school early to go to Edaville.  I felt like with the pandemic there was no way she wouldn’t be disappointed with this year’s celebration.  COVID birthdays are definitely strange, but it turns out there are still ways to make an 8 year old feel special.  I thought I would share a little bit about our day in case anyone else is struggling with planning a birthday celebration during COVID.

Cake

I usually make the cakes for birthdays, but since we couldn’t do anything huge for her birthday I thought a fancy cake would make the day special.  I ordered this gluten-free, vanilla with lemon frosting cake from The Sleepy Baker.  It was beautiful and delicious.

Food

We let her choose all the meals for the day. She wanted to make Crepes for breakfast and order Chinese as her special birthday meal.

Zoom party

Since we couldn’t have a traditional party, I organized a short Zoom party with a few of her friends.  We dropped off some beads and pipe cleaners along with cake pops the day before the party.  The girls made a craft, ate their cake pops, and then her friends sang her Happy Birthday.  It was a quick 40 minute celebration, but she loved getting to see and interact with her friends.

Decorations

We put up balloons and streamers around the door of her room and our downstairs the night before her birthday.  It was so much fun to see her reaction the morning of her birthday

Distanced Visits

The day of her birthday, a few neighborhood friends walked by throughout the day and left birthday notes in chalk on our walk way and dropped off gifts.  It was so special that, even with everything going on in their lives, people took the time to walk by and wish her a happy birthday. Friends and family that couldn’t socially distance visit called and send video messages.

Lights

We lucked out that the Magic of Lights started the day before her birthday.  We were able to surprise her with driving through the lights.  It was the perfect way to end her birthday.
Our day may not have been extravagant, but it was filled with fun and lots of love!

You can see our Pandemic Birthday Celebration for our 4 year old back in March here.