13 Heartwarming Quarantine Celebrations for Special Occasions

The coronavirus pandemic has made it feel a little like the world has stopped. But even as most people are practicing social distancing, birthdays, anniversaries, and more haven't just disappeared. Many people are still celebrating special occasions during this time—it's just that the way they celebrate has changed. People have had to get creative for quarantine celebrations and the results are both hilarious and heartwarming.

1. This man walked seven miles for his mom.

Decided to ditch public transport and walked 7 miles to hand deliver a Mother's Day card. I couldn't go in but we spoke at distance, her from her front door. She looked at my red trainers and said "you walked seven miles in these? Just as well the streets are empty."

— Irvine Welsh (@IrvineWelsh) March 22, 2020

Mother's Day in the U.K. this year fell on March 22, and many people were isolated from mothers who fall into an older, more at-risk group. Still wanting to celebrate his mom, Scottish writer Irvine Welsh walked seven miles to see her—from a safe distance, that is.

2. This family created a "Club Quarantine" for their son's 21st birthday.

@emilytorchiaIt was a good time ##ButterGlossPop ##gamingszn ##selfquarantine ##coronavirus ##MoodBoost ##21♬ original sound – emilytorchia

As most people know, turning 21 is an important birthday. It's the first year you're legally allowed to drink in the U.S., which is a big deal to many young adults. So it's no surprise that as his big day was approaching, Jack Torchia being stuck in quarantine with his parents and sister was less than ideal. What he didn't know was that his family had set up an entire "Club Quarantine" in their detached-garage-turned-bar, complete with the whole experience of his dad as the bouncer and his mom as the bartender.

3. This husband serenaded his wife through a window.

Coronavirus Ireland: Husband celebrates golden anniversary by serenading wife through care home window https://t.co/cIKz2k0Sh6 pic.twitter.com/V1QcWIdRWM

— Independent.ie (@Independent_ie) April 1, 2020

No pandemic was going to stop Irish man Denis McCarthy from celebrating his 50th anniversary with wife Ann while she was isolated in a nursing home. The Irish Independent reported that because Denis could not sit by his wife, he stood outside her window and sang her favorite song, "Brown Eyed Girl" by Van Morrison.

4. This couple celebrated their anniversary Animal Crossing-style.

Spent way too long making this but since all our anniversary plans got derailed this year, my hubby and I decided to celebrate by recreating our wedding photos in Animal Crossing 😁 pic.twitter.com/97mtn5O0hj

— ⚡️Janice Rosenthal⚡️ (@theJindoDog) April 1, 2020

The popular game Animal Crossing has been a source of comfort for many people during this time, but especially for Janice Rosenthal and her husband. Since they couldn't celebrate their anniversary with their original plans, they recreated their wedding photos with Animal Crossing characters as a way to still honor their special day.

5. People celebrated a special holiday early, with a twist.

 

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Happy Quarantine-O-Ween all you cool cats and kittens, from your favorite big cat crazies, Joe Exotic and Carole Baskin! 😂🤣 Check out my four different costumes you can make at home for #quarantineoween on my blog today! Link in bio!!! . . . . . . #halloweencostume #quarantine #tigerking #carolebaskin #joeexotic #diycostume #halloweenblog #netflix #halloween #halloweenideas #halloweenlover #halloweenhead #blog #blogger #costume #costumeideas

A post shared by Callie Jo (@halloweenhead13) on Mar 31, 2020 at 5:58am PDT

Since Halloween brings so many people joy, many people felt like there was no need to wait until October this year to celebrate. On March 31, Quarantine-o-ween was celebrated across the globe, with people dressing up and bringing the Halloween fun when everyone needs it the most.

6. This man celebrated his 101st birthday online with strangers.

His 101st birthday party was canceled because of the impact of the Coronavirus. Please share and comment to help us make his upcoming birthday special. Please leave him a message here.

Take 60 seconds and do it for Owen! pic.twitter.com/coIVAJ2rKv

— Mohamad Safa (@mhdksafa) March 21, 2020

In a time of social distancing, Owen's 101st birthday celebration for March 31 was cancelled. He turned to social media, where thousands of strangers wished him a happy birthday. His sign asked for 101,000 likes and he's already gotten over 159,000 on this one post, alone!

7. This sister hosted a birthday parade for her brother.

@sarahnjankeWhen it's your birthday in March 2020… ##covid19 ##quarantine ##quarantinebirthday♬ 22 – Cimorelli

With coronavirus cancelling most March birthday plans, Sarah Janke hosted an entire "birthday parade" with friends and family for her brother's 22nd birthday. Talk about making someone feel special!

8. This couple faked their anniversary cruise.

Cruise cancelled? 🚢No problem 🤣 #Covid_19 #coronavirus #CoronavirusPandemic #CoronaOutbreak #coronavirusaus #covid19australia #royalcaribbean #cruiseships #cruise pic.twitter.com/3JHMsanDHv

— Jane 💙 (@janeytrill) March 13, 2020

Norma and Dave were set for a 10-day cruise around the Pacific Islands to celebrate their 53rd wedding anniversary before the coronavirus hit, The Sun reported. After their plans were canceled, however, they managed to make the best of it by bringing the cruise to their own home.

9. This grandfather walked four miles to see his newborn granddaughter.

 

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This is not normal. This is not fun. This is actually the worst feeling ever – but I know this is temporary. • • Today, my dad walked over 4 miles to our house so he could see Elliana through the window… again. This has become a regular thing. It breaks my heart that my dad can't hold my daughter. However, as you can clearly see on my dad's face, he's overflowing with joy just to see her. He only got to hold her twice before #covid_19 locked us down. I hate that having a window between us is the only way she can see her grandpa – but again, I remember this is temporary. • • While my wife was pregnant, I don't think an hour went by where my dad didn't brag about becoming a grandpa soon. Now, his granddaughter is finally here and the only thing he can hold are the daily pictures we send him. However, he knows this is temporary. • • Even if you aren't worried about catching it yourself: #stayhome for the new dads and moms who can't wait to have the world meet their new baby. #stayhome for the grandparents who want to hold their new grandchild more than anything. #stayhome for the pregnant mom and nervous dad who are about to welcome home their newest family member. #stayhome for the greatgrandparents who know time is a gift. #stayhome for all the businesses who anxiously wait to open back up. #stayhome for the teachers and kids who are eager to get back to school. And especially, #stayhome for the doctors and nurses who are fighting this head on and would give anything to just #stayhome and hold their kids. • • If this grandpa can resist coming inside and loving his first grandchild, I know the rest of us can do this too. • • #girldad #thedad #stayhealthy #washyourhands

A post shared by Josh Gillett (@joshuagillett) on Mar 29, 2020 at 9:33am PDT

Joshua Gillett posted a heart-wrenching photo of him holding his newborn daughter, Elliana, on Instagram, with his father just outside the window. According to Gillett's post, his father had only gotten to hold the baby girl twice before the coronavirus outbreak. Now he regularly walks four miles just to see her through the window.

10. This entire building sang "Happy Birthday" to their neighbor.

Listen to this whole building sing 'Happy Birthday' to celebrate their neighbor turning 30 during the coronavirus crisis 🥳 pic.twitter.com/UJ9L4KHnWh

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) March 27, 2020

Hannah Chung sent out 76 invitations to strangers in her Los Angeles apartment building this March. The occasion? Inviting them all to bring a drink to their window and sing "Happy Birthday" as a surprise for her fiancé Jason Shields' 30th birthday while he was stuck inside. People even made birthday signs!

11. This woman took a note from Love Actually to celebrate her mom.

Mother's Day 2020, love actually style #imnotcryingyouare 💐 pic.twitter.com/vKzTXy84A8

— lily (@lily_foulis) March 22, 2020

One woman took to her mother's doorstep—at a safe distance—to wish her a happy Mother's Day. Flipping though written signs like in the movie Love Actually, this woman's efforts brought tears to her elderly mother's eyes.

"I've just come to say on this sunny bright day, thank you for being my mum," one sign read. "We all wish we could give you a hug and a kiss."

12. This mom planned a drive-by birthday surprise for her daughter.

So my daughter, Katie, had her 12th Birthday today. She couldn't have any friends over so we arranged a birthday drive by with all her friends as a surprise for her. Best bunch of friends ever!! #rathcormac #sligo #ireland #socialdistancing #COVID2019 pic.twitter.com/G0sV2zGPXU

— Katie (@katiekins76) March 26, 2020

Since Katie couldn't celebrate her 12th birthday by having friends over, her parents arranged a surprise "drive-by" birthday where all her friends drove by with their parents to honk and yell "happy birthday!" It's safe to say Katie looked unbelievably surprised, and this is one birthday she won't forget.

13. This couple got married over Zoom.

Had to postpone our wedding plans till September because of COVID, but managed to get all our friends and family on zoom to say our vows together and in our minds become husband and wife in our living room in Croydon! pic.twitter.com/2RoBhLWyuM

— Ben J (@benjack94) March 28, 2020

Many people are postponing their spring weddings due to the coronavirus. But Ben Jackson and Sophie Austin decided to go forth with their celebration—while still abiding by social distancing rules, of course. The couple, who live in Croydon, England, had 300 people watch them tie the knot over a Zoom video chat, the Daily Mirror reported.