I love birthdays!

One whole day to love on just one person.

One day that allows you to give a person a glimpse into how much their life means to you!

It is almost 22 years ago that our birthday tradition began.

It was my birthday during our first year of marriage and my day started off with a stack of envelopes.

Keep in mind that we barely had any money in those years but what followed made me feel so rich.

Each envelope was numbered and each envelope led to another adventure.

I couldn’t open the next numbered envelope until we had accomplished the one before it.

We did all of my favorite things.

We went to the bookstore and I got one book.

We went for coffee at my favorite cafe in DC.

We had lunch at the mall surrounded by all the museums I loved so much.

We went tanning (I know, I know…but I used to really love it before kids).

There were about 15 envelopes and we went from one fun thing to the next.

The point was the day was all about me and all of the little things that would make me smile.

After we had children I wanted to start “the envelopes” as we call them.

If you ask my children what they want for their birthdays they always yell, “Envelopes!”

Who can turn down a day completely filled with all the little things that they love?

Who can turn down the excitement of a day of surprises and adventures?

With everyone home right now you may be thinking how can you make someone feel seen and loved on if their birthday falls during the quarantine. I brainstormed with my amazing assistant Diane Reeves, our children and my husband to come up with some fun ideas for the men in our lives using our envelopes tradition.

Each envelope is numbered and inside there is a piece of paper with an activity. If you use envelopes for a birthday in your home let us know and maybe these ideas will help make a birthday extra special during this time of uncertainty.

-Decorate their bedroom door with streamers and balloons so when they wake up they have to break through the decorations

-Their favorite breakfast in bed

-A treasure hunt to find a gift

-A Nerf gun war outside or inside the house

-We like to call this “the beach” in our home. We love the beach more than anything and when we are back in Colorado and the sun is out we pull out the chairs into the sun, put on the sounds of the ocean and whenever possible make a cocktail.

-S’mores

-An outdoor movie night

-Hang 50 or even 100 reasons they are loved all over the walls in a another room or hallway

-Walk to a favorite park and if time allows send some of your family members out ahead of time to write surprise messages with sidewalk chalk along the route (if you have this freedom where you live)

-Steaks or burger on the grill and he doesn’t have to cook any of it.

-A bike, hike or favorite sport together

-A massage or back-rub

-A foot massage and pedicure

-Wash and vacuum their car as part of their gift

-Get a blow up waterslide and create an outdoor obstacle course

-Wine, beer or scotch tasting

-Spend an hour looking at the photo album and listening to their favorite stories

-Happy hour date night with your favorite couple friends via Zoom

-Food delivery from their favorite restaurant

-Star gazing

-Stream a concert from their favorite artist and surprise him with merch (concert t-shirt etc.)

-Time for his favorite hobby with some new supplies as a gift

-Create a donut “cake” with sparklers

-Ask family members to mail them birthday letters

-Have a Zoom or Facetime call set up so their friends and family can sing Happy Birthday and share one thing that they love about them

-Play their favorite video game with them

-Play Murder at night (this is one of our favorite games to play as a family and when friends are visiting)

-Create a murder mystery dinner or your own escape room adventure

-Have your friends and family decorate their cars, create signs and all come by the house at the same time yelling out birthday wishes, flashing their lights and honking their horns. They will never forget this one!