My Mom turns 100 at the end of December and family & friends are asking what my “celebration” plans are. She lives with me and I have done everything possible during this pandemic to keep her safe and well. Her health and mind are excellent, but I am against having a full blown “celebration”. Even a drive-by is going to be difficult because of the location of our condo and access to a window where she can see and be seen. Not to mention the possibility of snow. I’m getting pushback from family and it’s beginning to add stress to an already stressful situation, as I am her full time caregiver.
I know you guys will give me some sound advice.
Do a card thing. Tell everyone to send a card wishing Mom happy 100th. If she has a Church, inform them. Anyone who knows Mom. We did this for a classmate whose father turned 100 and had moved out of State. He was so happy to receive cards from kids he knew 50 yrs ago.
So many people have NO COMMON SENSE at all in their God given brains these days. Push back or no push back, the answer to your 'well meaning' relatives is NO. NO is a complete sentence. If they don't like it, they can join my step daughter in LUMPING IT.
Sorry not sorry, but your mother didn't live to be 100 to die of some stupid virus brought in to your condo by some well meaning partyer. Tell them all you'll bake her a cake, put 100 candles on it and a party hat on her head, get noisemakers for both of you, and have your DH film it. You'll post it on FB for their viewing enjoyment.
The End.
Happy 100th to your mom!
If there is someone younger in the family who can do it, get them to collect up videos of each family member saying happy birthday, slowly and clearly, and then splice them together in a form that can play on the television, big enough for her to see. She will probably enjoy seeing it repeated very day, more than she would have enjoyed it in person.
Don’t let other people guilt you into doing something that she quite probably won’t enjoy, and that would risk her health and her life.
Having an indoor gathering of a large number if people is unsafe at this time.
Please tell the thoughtless relatives to arrange a Facetime or Zoom call on mom's birthday.
I did a "virtual" party with a friend and we used Zoom (I used my Ipad) and it worked out great.
Happy 100th Birthday to your Mom!
Jenna
What I might do is open up a few cards on her birthday, a few more another day, and string it out so that it's something to look forward to over a period of time. You might ask people to call on that basis as well. Sometimes the attention on the day of the birthday is so much that succeeding days are real let downs.
You can also get one of the card boards, about 2' x 3', on which cards can be pinned. My cousin bought one for my father during one of his hospitalizations for a broken hip. Cards were added to it as people came in, and eventually it became full.
We took it home; Dad kept it in the living room where he could view the cards while sitting in his favorite chair. They reminded him of an unpleasant medical adventure made much more positive by the support of family and friends.
Those cards are going into a scrapbook which I'll be creating of his life.
Let whoever thinks she should have a public Gala, plan it and videotape it, then send it to you and Mom while you both stay SAFE at HOME.
You are doing your best to protect her. Don’t be bullied by nonsense into doing something that NOBODY guarantee to be SAFE.
Do you think they might consider a Showering of Birthday Wishes MAILED to her, a 3 or 4 piece combo playing Happy Birthday and some of her favorites on your lawn or driveway, a cookie distribution to family members gathered outside, a Fly By with a Happy Birthday Banner??
Your family members apparently don’t realize that people who have reached the wonderful age of 100 should by doing so be allowed to take a SAFE shot at going for 101!
God Bless Her, AND YOU, and keep up the good work with your door locked!
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