What to do when a milestone birthday approaches, but there is a global pandemic? Backyard Party with the ability to social distance and socialize by moving from one table to another.
Dan's dad turned 75, and we found all sorts of things in increments of 75 to celebrate. There were:
- 75 Balloons - In bright, cheery colors. (We learned from his 60th birthday that black balloons are not very celebratory.) As an added bonus, we used the bottles of hand sanitizer at each table as a weight for the balloons.
- 75 Fireballs (the candy, not actual fire)
- 75 Fortune Cookies
- 75 Bouncy Balls
- 75 Mini Toblerones (because real-sized would be a problem)
- 75 Fun Bendy Straws
- 75 Green Tea Bags
- 75 Rubber Ducks in the shape of a 75 on the roof of the shed
- A gift to Dad from Tom: A copy of Patent Number 75. Created in 1836, it is older than Dad.
Boy Batting Balloons
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| Fresh Fun Fortune Cookies |
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Bowl of Bouncy Balls
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| Tons of Tiny Toblerones |
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| Super Sipping Straws |
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| Dubious Drinking Demonstrations |
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| Daring Duck Display |
To top it all off, Dad gave a 75-minute speech about his life.
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The Attentive and Amazed Audience |
Highly successful, no one shared germs, and everyone successfully returned to their own homes safe and COVID-free. The only exception was the escape of the 75 balloons, which disappeared and were never heard from again. After imploring them to save the poor sea turtles from balloon choking, I sent the kids off on a mission to retrieve the balloons when they came back down. The kids made it a half mile from the house before they lost sight and gave up. Fortunately, the kids returned home safely.
And what of the 75 rubber ducks on the shed? Don't worry; they found their way back to the ground.
