How to celebrate a budget friendly birthday at home during lockdown

It has been almost 9 months, we are cooped up at our homes. Apart from the people who had their birthdays in January, February or March, most of us have restricted and celebrated our special day at our homes only – no matter whether kids or adults. My kids were quite excited for their birthday for a long time which is quite natural. Since we knew it would not be possible to invite their friends this year, we thought of making it a low key yet a special affair so that they are not disappointed. Infact, I find the idea of celebrating at home with family more appealing always instead of going out. Here are a few simple ideas on how to celebrate a budget friendly birthday at home during lockdown.

Bake at home:

Birthdays without a cake are incomplete. Since its pandemic so let’s don a baker’s hat and bake at home and surprise your kid. Try your hands in baking much before the birthday so that by the time the day arrives, you are able to bake a decent cake. Start with simple recipes. Kids love colors and chocolates so decorate the cake with their favorite cookies and chocolates, butterflies and flowers. You can also bake some cupcakes along with the cake and decorate each of those differently. You can get some inspiration from my previous posts here.

Decoration:

You don’t need to spend a fortune on the decoration yet you can make the birthday venue, that’s your own sweet nest, look embellished. A few balloons is all we need to make kids happy, isn’t it? Although there is no limit of decorative items available in the market today but to keep it minimal, you can order a pack of multi colored balloons. To make it special, you can also order some frills and an age number balloons that adds zing to the room instantly. If you are a DIY person, there is no limit to creativity. You can make props, banners, the first alphabet or the entire name of your child by using cardboard.

Midnight is the best time to decorate as kids are asleep. The smile of their faces when they wake up to see the decked up home early morning will be worth your efforts. Hang the balloons, and streamers all over your place and some in the kid’s room while they are asleep. Put a birthday banner, frills and the room is done. Now, focus on the cake table. You can cover it with a nice tablecloth or place mats. Put some candles (electric or simple wax candles), kids pictures, flower vase, and the cake of course. You can also keep the cupcakes around the cake to make it even prettier. It’s a good idea to decorate the cake table and kids birthday chairs with balloons. If you have some lights, just hang them around the house and it will do the magic. You can also put a handwritten birthday wish for them on the table.

Fun and feast:

As there are no friends this year, you can organise some games for the kids to make it exciting. These could be musical chairs, blindfold, hide and seek, any board games, blowing bubbles, singing, dancing or even treasure hunt. It can be a wonderful plan to hide their gifts wrapped up or in envelopes in treasure hunt. Get down on the floor with them and play along. Cook their favorite meals and if they enjoy cooking, tag them along. It will be a fun family activity. Ask them to set the menu for the entire day much in advance so that you can do the preparation beforehand and do not end up in the kitchen all day. Set up your dining table together and enjoy your meals together without any distractions.

Zoom in:

We are maintaining social distancing but can always connect with our friends and family online. Invite your loved ones in advance for cake cutting so that they can book their calendar and keep themselves free at that hour. Let everyone send their wishes through the video call. If possible, you can also ask your friends and family who cannot join the call to record a wish and you can play their videos.

Theme party:

If you want, you can plan a theme party also. Based on the theme, you can keep the things color coordinated. For example, bake the cake as per the theme. We are not professional bakers and it’s not possible to make a unicorn cake or any other fancy cake however you can make the frosting of the theme color. Keep the decoration (balloons, table cloth, banners, etc.) as per the color scheme. Set the dress code for yourself and the guests also if possible according to the theme colors.

Keep it simple:

This year, we kept it simple and did not do anything special yet it was a special birthday. There were no new birthday dresses or shoes or an outing to a restaurant or play area. My husband and I took a day off and all I got for them is a crown as they love to wear it. I made them wear as soon as they woke up with the birthday song we played while they were in the bed. You don’t need to be extravagant to make these days memorable, only a few ideas, and togetherness make it a lifetime event to remember.

If you have a busy day and do not manage to get a day off, don’t be disappointed. You can try this quick mug cake recipe. Just fill the balloons and throw them over your place for a quick decor and enjoy your dinner together. Even if you cannot do the balloons also, let it be. Kids do understand everything. Your presence means everything to them. Sit with them after work and spend some quality time. A great idea could be to watch their old pictures and videos of their childhood till now and enjoy the milestones your child has achieved so far. You can also write a letter to them, plan a dance together and enjoy a candle light dinner.

All matters at the end is spending some quality time with your family. The silver lining of this pandemic is that it has given us ample time to spend with your loved ones throughout the day. Let’s make the most of it. Last but not the least, click a lot of pictures and videos for these are going to remind you of the precious moments spent together

So, these were a few ideas on how to celebrate a budget friendly birthday at home during lockdown. Do let me know if you have any more ideas to add on. Did you celebrate any birthday during the lockdown? If so, what did you do?