Vaccines are here, but the world is not out of the woods yet in terms of COVID. And even once we can safely gather again, sometimes social distancing happens because of literal distance — friends and relatives live far away. Here are five ways to celebrate special occasions when you can’t be together in person.
Photo by Ekaterina Bolovtsova from Pexels.
Make T-Shirts
Custom t-shirt printing has gotten cheaper, faster, and better over the years. Nowadays, you can upload almost any design and have great looking, directly printed shirts, hats, hoodies, sweatpants, or other garments within days. Because manufacturers can print right on the cloth, there is often no minimum purchase requirement. What better way to celebrate a birthday, anniversary, graduation, new job, or other milestones than a fun custom tee that everyone can wear on zoom calls, or the next time you can get together in person?
Send Cards
Photo by Giftpundits.com from Pexels.
You can’t go wrong with a classic. And just like t-shirts and other apparel, there are lots of companies that can provide customized, personally meaningful cards. Since cards are small and easy to file to away, your commemoration of a special event might even make it down the generations. Just think how cool it would be to have an early anniversary card for your great-grandparents. Then think about what your custom card might mean to your great-grandchildren or those of your friend or relative.
Have a Virtual Learning Party
Do you have a reasonably simple skill to teach? Maybe you know how to make an easy birdhouse, cook gourmet cupcakes, or paint a simple scene. Why not throw your own art, craft, or cooking party over zoom or other videoconferencing software? Or, if you are stuck for ideas, hire a professional to teach your whole crew a new skill, or at least walk you all through a simple project. It’s easy to tie in your special occasion, and by recording the “call,” you will have a permanent record of your great time.
Create a Website
With technology like Squarespace and WordPress, websites are easier than ever to design. You can feature all kinds of milestones on your site, give your family and friends unique pages, and make your site rich in multimedia and memories. If you are meticulous about saving your backups, your site can be archived on a hard drive for posterity, even if you no longer want to keep it up.
Make a Video
With modern compression technology, high-quality video requires downright minuscule file sizes. That means that, like a one-of-a-kind greeting card, your video can live on through the ages, giving future generations a great look into life in 2021. Simple videos such as you recording a message can be great, but if you want to do something exceptional, spend a little time and effort. There is lots of great video editing software that is easy to use, and many options are available for free. Collect photos and messages from friends, colleagues, and family to incorporate. Get fancy and use fun transitions between shots, motion graphics, and stickers. Chances are, you will get as much joy making a video as your friend or loved one will viewing it!
What are some unique ways that you’ve been able to celebrate special occasions with your family and loved ones? Let me know in the comments!
