Our first week of classes and our second week on campus, one of my best friends turned 19. My friends and I came together and panicked. Our friend loved huge parties with planned extravagant events all of which were usually planned a year in advance. She not only didn’t have a plan but was just going to brush over her birthday altogether. I realized while I wouldn’t be able to provide my friend the same type of party she was used to, I could come up with some way to still celebrate her and our friendship. This article will list a few ways to celebrate your friends, old and new, for their birthdays on a college campus.
Favorite activities:
For my friend celebrating her 19th birthday during our first week of class, a couple of friends and I got together and used the City Bus to get to Target across the Wabash River. Our expedition to Lafayette resulted in vanilla mug cakes, Pillsbury cinnamon waffles, and card games. When we returned to campus, we threw a small party playing her favorite card game. She loved it. The best advice I can give when celebrating a friend’s birthday, do their favorite activities with them. My friend loves card games, so we played card games. If your friends love to hike, hike around campus or even a trail nearby. If your friend loves to shop, explore the local shops around town. Celebrate your friends by being there for them and doing what they love.
Restaurants:
Something that my family always did for my birthday back home was to let me pick a restaurant for a birthday dinner. I usually spent the whole month researching what place would be the best not only for me but for my whole family to enjoy. Something simple like letting your friend pick a restaurant for dinner is a great way to celebrate them. This can range from them selecting a nicer restaurant in town, a guilty pleasure they’ve been craving all semester, or even letting them pick the dining hall that you just don’t vibe with. It’s a really simple way to celebrate your friends for their birthdays and maybe even remind them of home.
Zoom party:
Unfortunately, no matter how hard I tried to convince them, some of my friends chose to move away and are taking on a bunch of new challenges, hours away from me. While I do still love my long-distance friends, it does make celebrating a tad bit more difficult. Recently, I have been utilizing everyone’s favorite, Zoom. Facetime is great until the dorm wifi decides to kick in and out and your rendition of ‘Happy Birthday’ is cut short. Zoom allows for a clearer connection (most of the time) and a larger majority of people can come together. It was so worth it to celebrate my best friend’s birthday as he was surrounded by his newfound friends while I was throwing him a party from Purdue’s campus.