While amidst a pandemic, sacrifices must be made. Under the federal government, all citizens of the United States are ordered to shelter in place until April 30, a date that feels a million miles away to be spent in our homes. The virus is serious, but feelings of missing out on milestones are valid. Graduations, proms, and weddings are being canceled globally in order to protect the public and “flatten the curve” of the growth of the virus. While these events can be rescheduled, there is one date that stays the same annually: your birthday. For Aries, as well as a few Pisces and Taurus, their birthdays will be spent under quarantine. 

“I was kind of sad hearing that I’ll be spending my 17th birthday under quarantine because that means I wouldn’t get to spend it with all of my friends and family,” Junior Alex Salise said.  Her birthday is on April 8.

“I was really sad because I was supposed to have a birthday party thing. March is kinda my month with St. Paddy’s day and my birthday, and I could not do anything. Also, I later found out that my friends were supposed to do a surprise party for me which obviously got canceled,” Junior Maggie O’Brien said.  Her birthday was on March 25. 

While this may be a disappointment, it does not mean that you still cannot celebrate your birthday.

“I was supposed to go into work that day, but instead I watched the sunset and some friends stopped by with gifts for a bit.  I had some cake, too,” explained O’Brien on how she was still able to celebrate her birthday.

Here are some other ideas on how you can celebrate your or your loved one’s birthday:

1. Have a Facetime, Zoom, or Google Hangout video conference to be able to talk to your friends.
2. Make a cake or your favorite sweet treat (if you can find all of the ingredients) and blow out the candle with a hairdryer to prevent the spread of germs.
3. Cook your favorite meals or order takeout from your favorite restaurant to support local businesses who may be struggling.
4. Watch a birthday-themed movie like “16 Candles,” “13 Going on 30,” “Happy Death Day,” “Birthday Cake,” or “16 Wishes.”
5. Go outside for a walk.
6. Play a board game with your family or play a virtual game with friends.
7. Have a relaxing “spa night.”
8. Have a parade! Lots of people have been driving by the houses of people’s birthdays with signs and balloons.

In my home, I was able to celebrate my mom’s birthday while in quarantine on April 1. Her friends drove by the day before, honking their horns and decorating our fence with birthday signs before having a Zoom party together.  On her actual birthday, we ate donuts for breakfast, which not only were delicious, but helped to support local businesses. Later in the morning, her friend hosted a “birthday workout” over Zoom for all of her friends to take. Then, she had a six-feet apart party with friends in the backyard. For dinner, we ordered takeout from her favorite local Italian restaurant, and to close out the evening, we had a Zoom call with our extended family, while we blew out candles over homemade peanut butter cookies. Overall, it was a birthday so unique it will be hard to forget.

If you still feel like you do not get to celebrate enough, you can always do something after the shelter in place order ends.

“I will probably be celebrating it three months after my birthday on June 25. It will probably just be a small gathering or something,” O’Brien said on her plans for her birthday.

Happy birthday to you, Tigers, and stay safe and healthy!