Spending your birthday in lockdown doesn’t have to be a lonely or boring one. First of all treat yourself to delicious meals throughout the day.  Start with a full fry up with all the lovely goodness of tomatoes, mushrooms, avocado, beans, bacon and sausage (or vegan alternatives). Start the day right and continue as a king or queen!

If you are living with your partner:

If you’re buying gifts, make sure to have their present ready and give yourself enough time for delivery during quarantine. Deliveries may be much slower so give yourself 2-3 weeks in advance when purchasing the gift. Don’t forget to wrap it up so they have something to open on the day! 

To make it a little more interesting you could wrap the present in different layers and in each layer there could be a challenge or something for you both to do on the day! Such challenges/activities could be an idea for the present, a cocktail making set for a cocktail showdown, a set of hiking boots to go on a walk or a jigsaw to piece together that evening. When it gets dark, suggest that you both dress up as if you would be going out, lay the table with candles and flowers and enjoy a candlelit dinner as if you were at your favourite restaurant. 

If you are living with your family:

Make it a fun activity by creating a birthday banner and posters with the kids to decorate a room on the day. As well as decoration, the children can help bake a birthday cake or cupcakes ready for later. When it comes to cutting the cake, set up a time to have a video call with wider family and friends so everyone can get involved with the moment and sing happy birthday! 

If it is a sunny day, make a packed lunch and have a picnic in the garden followed by a nice stroll to a nearby park or woodlands to explore with your family. If the weather is dull and raining then put on a favourite family film with some hot coco or play board games together like jenga, monopoly or uno to name a few. 

If you are living with friends:

Ask your friends to do something fun for the day, whether that be staying in and playing games over zoom or going out for some socially distanced fresh air, there are plenty of activities to get on with. Some suggestions could be playing badminton or football in your garden, hiking up some nearby hills for some fresh air, or if it’s really hot you could be sunbathing in your garden or a picnic in the park whilst sipping on margaritas. Put on your favourite summer playlist and it will feel like you are on holiday again.

Towards the evening grab yourselves a drink, get on zoom with your other friends and have a virtual party together. Nominate a DJ (or if you have a friend that DJs!) and dance the night away!

If you are living on your own:

Treat yourself beforehand with a present you’ve wanted for a while, get it delivered on your birthday and use it! Have you thought about some rollerblades? You could take them out for a spin and enjoy your time outdoors whilst doing something new and exciting. Other ideas could be a new bicycle, gym kit or for the less active perhaps there is a new game out, a painting set or you could try your hand at gardening.

Make the most of your meals through the day and even make it 3 courses because why not treat yourself on your birthday?! If you’re not much of a cook then you can order yourself your favourite takeaway all the while video calling your friends online. Make it fun by adding in a quiz or charades game for a good laugh and don’t forget to premake your favourite cocktail so you can keep topping up during the call.

Send your loved one, friends or family a gift on their birthday and put a smile on their face! Visit our Mailing Gift Boxes to find a range of postal boxes convenient for sending little treats to loved ones when you can’t be with them on their special day.  Whether you are sending jewellery, small accessories or their favourite book, there is a gift box for every occasion.


We may be in lockdown but by being creative and by making the most of what we have on our birthday (and any other day), will encourage and teach others like our friends, family and children to be resilient and have hope for after. Don’t forget It is absolutely normal to feel down during this time so don’t beat yourself up over birthday preparations, whether you are spending the day on your own, together with your partner, family or friends you can look forward to planning your birthday next year to be a better one - one that you can enjoy doing whatever you wanted because we can! 


Note: It is always nice to enjoy the outdoors during this time but remember to stick to social distancing rules when out and about.

Please contact [email protected] if you would like any help with our mailing box range.