This week finally wraps up wrapping and unwrapping gifts, (say that five times fast) as my two children’s Birthdays have come to an end, a mere 2 weeks past Christmas. I feel like I can breathe again.

These months are absolute chaos every year, filled with so much planning and preparation.

This year, however, was a little less chaotic due to Covid cancelling our usual Birthday celebrations.

Sure, my husband and I decorated the house as we always do on their Birthdays, they still got gifts, and had their favourite meals with their choice of dessert. We still sang to them and they still made a wish and blew out their candles (while I flashed back to them doing it in all their previous years, and felt the annual pang of deep sadness realizing how fast it’s all going).

The only difference is they didn’t blow out candles with anyone other than our little foursome.

Normally there are multiple family celebrations held by their amazing Grandparents, followed by a big party with their friends.

It made me think; every human will “lose” one or possibly two Birthdays due to this pandemic, however the way people have creatively come together to celebrate each-other during this time is almost more magical than past years.

My children had their family and close friends drop by this week with cards, gifts, cupcakes; they received sweet phone calls, texts, face-time calls, and zoom calls. All to show them the love they deserve to feel on their special day.

I am sitting here feeling so grateful for all those people.

I celebrated my first Covid Birthday in November and I like to think it showed me who my people are. Of course not everyone can do much other than send a text right now, and with me being off socials I didn’t even expect many to know when it was; however the ones that did, my people, chose to go above and beyond in order to show me love while I was trapped inside, in the most creative ways.

Whether it was a coffee on my doorstep, a video message, thoughtful gifts, homemade cookies, a text just asking how my day was going, or zoom calls; these are the things that help us get though these trying months. Small acts of kindness, showing the people we don’t get to see right now how much we care.

A silver lining to this terrible pandemic is it truly has forced people to get more creative than they were before. It’s bringing people together in new ways.

My son told me when I tucked him in after his special day was coming to an end that it was his best Birthday ever, and it’s not just because he got a ton of Mario LEGO, but I think he recognized the extra effort made for him.

Thank you to everyone who went out of their way to show my children they are loved, and thank you to the people who do it for their loved ones. You make the world a happier place to be when it’s not looking its best.

A small act of kindness really goes a long way in these trying times.

May all your Covid Birthdays be full of love, may your people be as loving as mine, and may you have a healthy and happy 2021.

Simply,

Jules