Countless weddings have been postponed like a baseball game called on account of rain. It is pretty easy to reschedule a baseball game. Events cancelled due to Covid are a little more tricky because we can’t just look at a forecast to see when the pandemic will go away. Some have opted for civil services involving the two of them, a celebrant, and a couple of random strangers who happen to be in the courthouse that day willing to sign as witnesses. It is the celebration no one wanted. Others have simply placed their marriage plans on hold. They took a rain check, but never expected the rain to last this long.
Big events are not the only casualties of Covid. There are all the little celebrations that give life its flavor. Since the big events have been cancelled, the little things take on outsized significance. If you have had no celebrations in a year, you are in desperate need of an intervention whether you know it or not. Celebrations are not just the marking of occasions, they are also cathartic releases. Here are a few of the little things you should celebrate regardless of the rain:
Babies
Everything about babies should be celebrated. Just consider all the new parents you have ever known. They celebrate everything. And they have the pictures and videos to prove it. Some of the videos in the delivery room are things you don’t want to see. When it comes to babies, if it is worth doing, it’s worth celebrating.
Despite Covid restrictions, you can still find plenty of gender reveal ideas suitable for the moment in which we all find ourselves. It doesn’t have to involve fireworks, an airplane, and a full-on movie crew. A gender reveal celebration can be a small and intimate event.
Early reveal celebrations involved a cake with either a pink or blue interior. The reveal was simply a matter of cutting the cake. Confetti poppers are also popular. There can be a small number of socially distanced guests in an outdoor environment. Or it can be done entirely via video. From baby showers to Christenings, celebrate your baby every chance you get.
Couples
We all know of situations where the wedding budget got out of hand. We pretend like it is a celebration where money is not an object. But money is most certainly an object. And too much of it is often spent for highly emotional events such as weddings.
You should know that it is possible to get married on a shoestring budget. You don’t have to have flamingos to achieve a celebration worthy of Instagram. Storybook weddings have to give way to the reality of Covid. But that does not mean you can’t have a small and reasonable wedding now, and a grand ceremony in a couple of years. You don’t have to postpone your marriage or the celebration. You just have to rethink how you celebrate.
In the meantime, don’t forget about the anniversary, the celebration of your first home, the reenactment of your first date, and all the little things that are worth celebrating in a relationship. Use any excuse to celebrate being together and to remind your partner of how much you love them.
Students
School is hard. It’s not just the work. The hardest part is navigating the social obstacle course. School is hard because growing up is hard. For some, it is impossible. Los Vegas faced a choice between doing nothing amid a surge of teen suicides, and reopening the schools and risking a new surge in viral infections. They opted for reopening schools.
Emotional health is still health. We are so worried about the development of strong bones and teeth that we forget about the emotional well-being of our school-age children. They need all the encouragement, reinforcement, and celebration they can get regardless of what might be going on with the pandemic.
No one should ignore public safety rules. Covid is a terrible way to die. What we need is a little creativity. Our mission is to keep moving forward with the things that matter in a safe and sustainable way. Life is more than Covid. Whether you are a couple, a student, or parents of a newborn, your life deserves to be celebrated. It is vital that you find safe and creative ways to do just that.