7 Creative Ways to Celebrate Your Birthday in Quarantine

Taurus season is fast approaching, and with the extension of the enhanced community quarantine, fellow bulls have probably already accepted the fact that they'll be celebrating their birthdays locked at home. Still, though, being in quarantine doesn't have to mean that they can't have a good birthday, right? 

With so many things going online, one cannot really run out of ways to celebrate their special day. Here are 7 ways you can make the most out of your birthday without leaving home: 

Have a virtual birthday party via Zoom or Houseparty

Thanks to technology, communicating with friends and loved ones has never been this easy. All you need to do these days is download an app, invite friends to join the party, and that's it!  The possibilities are endless through these apps, and you can do whatever you want with your friends with it – from catching up and playing games to having actual wine nights like the tita we all aspire to be! 

Spend your birthday with friends on your Animal Crossing island

One of the latest trends these days is Animal Crossing: New Horizons. With most of the people from all over the world stuck in quarantine, they have been having lots of fun with the game since they can do things on their island that they can't do in the real world. While some prefer to just enjoy the peacefulness of the game, others have also tried throwing parties and celebrating their birthdays (even weddings!) on their island with their friends. What they did was send out invites, design their islands for the party, and just have fun with it like they do in real parties! 

Have your favorite food delivered to your home

There's no better way to celebrate your big day than with some good food! Although most of the malls and restaurants these days are closed, there are still some that offer pick-ups and delivery services within Metro Manila and via food delivery apps to make sure that your cravings are satisfied. If you don't feel like ordering takeout though, there are also ways to get your groceries delivered to your home so you can create your favorite dishes yourself with the help of the many tutorials available online!  

Also read: 

• GUIDE: Metro Manila Restaurant and Food Deliveries During COVID-19

• GUIDE: Restaurants Selling Ready-To-Cook Meals During COVID-19

Bake a birthday cake

This quarantine is the perfect time for you to finally learn how to cook and unleash the inner chef you've been hiding, especially since there aren't many bakeries and cake shops open these days. Luckily, there are many tutorials online that would teach you the basics, as well as simple recipes with the ingredients that you have at home. There are even no-bake cake tutorials you can check out online, perfect if you don't have an oven at home!  

Hold a movie night with friends

Movie nights these days can also be done virtually, thanks to a useful little plug-in called Netflix Party. Through this Chrome extension, the party host can simply play their choice of film or show, send the invite links to friends, and watch away! Aside from watching a film at the same time, those who are in a Netflix Party can also chat and discuss what's going on through the little chatbox on the side of the screen, so it really feels like you're there with each other! 

Have a virtual karaoke party

Filipinos love to sing with friends, and although everyone is stuck in quarantine, that doesn't mean that they can't have a good karaoke session with each other, right? While there's an app like Smule where you can invite a friend or two to sing your choice of song, you can also hold your very own karaoke party via Zoom and a platform called Watch2Gether, which lets all the participants in the Zoom call watch and stream the same karaoke video at the same time. 

Donate to those who are affected by COVID-19 the most

If you have more to give and are planning to skip the big celebrations this year, you can choose to give back and donate whatever you can to the health workers who have been tirelessly working for weeks now and to the less fortunate who do not have access to things they need to have during these trying times. Here are some of the organizations you can donate to. 

* Homestream image screenshot from the Animal Crossing trailer.