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“I Just Spent My 25th Birthday In Isolation – And It Didn’t Suck”

You better believe I played pass the parcel

While we suffer through this worldwide pandemic, we must take a moment to think of our Aries babies that are experiencing a birthday celebration like no other.

It was the 23rd of March when I decided to pack up my Sydney life and head out west to my family home, escaping the coronavirus and leaving my social life (and half my wardrobe) behind. I was 5 hours into my 7 hour drive when I had exhausted several podcasts, listened to 3 chapters of Harry Potter And The Half Blood Prince and been through 2 rotations of my ‘chill’ playlist on Spotify when I suddenly realised that my twin brother and I were turning 25 in just two weeks time.

I got that weird little nervous feeling at the bottom of my stomach that you get the night before your birthday or Christmas, the one where you can’t sleep because you know tomorrow is going to be great. So there I was smiling away at the thought of turning 25 and finally having my shit together in life when the penny dropped… I was going to be in social isolation for the big day. No friends. No birthday dinner. No surprise drinks and no party. I was suddenly extremely devastated.

I know it sounds shallow, but the severity of the situation had not fully set in until that moment, all of a sudden I was completely aware of the fact that it might be months before I got to see my friends again, weeks before I got to wear the items in The Iconic order I was getting delivered and only a matter of days before I was to somehow celebrate a quarter century of existing.

What to do? Well there were positives, I would be with my family and my womb buddy, my twin brother who I had not actually shared a birthday with for over 10 years, so I was hopeful we could come up with something fun to commemorate this magnificent day.

We put in our orders with Mum, two cakes were to be made, not just one with both our names written on top, if you are a twin you will understand the pain of growing up sharing absolutely everything (including the spotlight on your birthday). I went for the obvious choice of an ice-cream cake and Sam went for the mud cake, if you’re unsure of our personalities that will surely clear things up.

Next, we needed supplies, and by that I mean alcohol. Lots of it. If it was going to be anything like our previous day-of-birth shenanigans we were going to need at least 3 bottles of gin (Hendricks obviously) and a couple of bottles of champagne. Thanks mum.

Finally, it was our birthday-eve when suddenly there was a plot twist. My older sister, her husband and their 1 and a half year old daughter turned up, ready to stay and wait out the quarantine days. Well this definitely spiced things up, more people to join in on the activities we had planned, our biggest fear was turning into the meme that was circulating about the unlucky ones that were spending their birthday alone, sad and sober

I awoke to a FaceTime and a special rendition of Happy Birthday by a good friend who happily proceeded to make me feel old by bringing up age-old memories of us kicking about together over 20 years ago. This was followed by homemade pancakes and the opening of presents. It was looking like a good day already. I answered several phone calls and messages, scrolled through the “delightful” pictures that were being posted all over social media, reminding my parents that I was 25 and it was ok that there was a video of me drinking out of a shoe. Next was a Houseparty group chat with over eight of my friends from across the world, we toasted the anniversary along with our good health.

After lunch we played several rounds of ‘pass the parcel’ which was more for my niece, but I can confirm it is a whole different game when one has already consumed several alcoholic beverages. The day ended with a few more FaceTimes, several more party games (yes musical chairs can be turned into a drinking game) and a delicious dinner.

Looking back I find it bizarre that I ever doubted that our special day would be anything but fabulous, even amidst these times of chaos people are coming together across every social media platform checking in, wellwishing and sharing a drink at the end of each long day. So don’t wish it away, embrace your birthday in quarantine because you’re unlikely to forget it. I know I won’t.

Birthday tips for Aries Babies 

Ok Aries babies, incase you’re still unsure of how to celebrate your day-of-birth, here are my five top tips on how you should spend your day:

  1. Use an app to a host a virtual gathering
  2. Deck out your virtual venue with plenty of decorations
  3. Virtual-friendly games are a must: HeadsUp, Reverse Charades and there are plenty of drinking games that can be turned virtual.
  4. Eat (and drink) like a Queen. Order in cake, treats and booze.
  5. Create a Wishlist so all your friends and family can send you gifts

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