This year has been uncertain. While we have been able to do outdoor birthdays for everyone in the family, winter is a different thing altogether. I knew that having anything outside in December was not going to work, so I planned a destination birthday instead. Like our Destination Date Nights. I decided what I wanted to eat and then chose my theme based on that.
We ordered pasta, garlic bread, and tiramisu from one of our favorite restaurants, and I knew that I had to do Italy, but different than we did before. This time I chose a quite Italian street with floral window boxes, and used my hedge background as a secondary one. You may remember it from our Oktoberfest dinner. I used it as our biergarten.
My mom joined us on this adventure. I wanted it to feel like we were at an outdoor cafe, so I used a red and white checked tablecloth, put together a flower arrangement with fake flowers I had around the house and a colorful vase, and then added an Italian flag and a bottle of prosecco (made in Italy). I was pretty proud of how everything looked together.
I plated dinner on plain white plates, added some golden cloth napkins, and used my favorite wine glasses for peach apple cider (I had to drive after, and I'm the only one who drinks, so everyone got the same thing). Also, I made everyone wear hats, because hats make everything infinitely better and more fun.
While we ate, we listened to Italian restaurant music - Amazon music has several options for that - and my mom said she felt like we were at an actual Italian restaurant, which was the point, so I guess I nailed it.
After dinner, we indulged in tiramisu. It is one of my favorite desserts, and they make a great version, so score!
We cleaned up and then bundled up in our jackets and went to see the winter lights around town. This was a free thing set up at different locations near us, so it was fun and affordable. It only required us to drive to a few places, which were all pretty close, and we also treated ourselves to coffees from one of my favorite new locally-owned shops that is staying open later for the lights. I've only been there a few times, but they know my name already (we follow each other on Instagram) and I thought that was a nice surprise. Here are some pics
Need a few ideas on how to pull this little getaway off?
- Get a good background
- Dress your table
- Add a flag
- Enjoy a favorite prosecco
- In some lovely glasses
- Listen to some Italian music
- Put on some hats
- We had chef hats
- You could also wear gondolier hats
- Or spiffy Bogart hats - here's a cheaper version
- Acessorize with some greenery
- And a jaunty banner - that one says Happy Birthday
- Viva Italia
- Benvenuto
- Buon Natale - which means Happy Christmas
I hope everyone's having a great holiday season, no matter what you celebrate. And remember, if you have a birthday, or are just generally missing traveling to see people this year, you can still make it special if you try. Even if you just dress up and visit people via Zoom, think of how happy you'll make everyone by doing a little extra planning. Play some games, have everyone make dishes that mean something to them, host a cocktail/mocktail mixing session. Just put some effort into making the holiday the best it can be under the circumstances.
How are you creatively celebrating the holidays or even New Years? We'll be throwing a virtual NYE party on Zoom from "Thailand" (hopefully).
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