Birthdays On Public Transport
If you are stuck travelling, be sure to tell the transport company it's your birthday. You could get the coach singing happy birthday and smiling. One year I travelled transatlanti from London to the USA on my birthday. The flight out of Heathrow, they had my passport and details and knew it was my birthday. I was given free Champagne. It was one of those journeys where staff change over mid lgight, and you have two or more connections. By the time I was onto meal service my second offer of Champange or sparkling wine and good wishes, the novelty had worn off. Then a third with the next meal, new crew, and a fourth offer of drinks and good wishes!
Remember to tell Restaurants. The efficient restaurant might greet you with a wish, Happy Birthday!
Some restaurants are geared up for bithdays. In fact, that is their main business. I have sat in restaurants, larger restaurants, where two, three or four groups had birthdays.
I had one disaster of forgotten cake. My son\s birthday at the now closed Alpine Restaurant. A couple who came in after us wre sent a bithday cake with a candle.
We waited, and waited. For ours. Eventually, despite my son asking me not to, I went over to the other table, to wish them happy birthday, and admire their cake. They were looking rather glum. I asked them whether their cake was a success. They did not look at all happy. The wife replied, "I'ts not a birthday. It's our wedding anniversary."
Then my son and I knew what had happened, and why we were waiting. Our cake had been sent to them. The kitchen had to make another cake for us with fresh decoration. (Or to defrost.)
Some retaurants get the staff to gather around the table and sing hpp birthday, all war hats. You could bring your own balloon.
Or book a priae room. That way so you can sing without disturbing others, and put parcels under the table with no risk of passers by or staff tripping, moving boxes, or your losing them.
We used to arrange our travel so that we spent one weekend in Singapore for my birthday, perhaps dinner at Raffles Hotel. We then flew to the UK for my son's birthday. We wanted to be sure he was not alone on his birthday. Later, we wanted to be sure he did not have a big party in our house when we were not there, whilst we worried about the remote but vivid possibiity of gatecrashers, drugs, fights damage, smoking, litter.
My son used to send flowers or a gift to Singapore on my birthday if I was there and he was in London. We used various companies, not only Interlflora and marks and Spencers. One year I had a cake with flower decorations.
This year I have looked online. I have saved pop up cards showing cakes or flower, or frames showing a picture of flowers on the inside. Also cards with badges. at one point I had a card which played happy birthday to you when I opened it.
I also tried taking to the restaurant a miniature eletronic piano keyboard which had half a dozen built in tunes including hapy birthday. I also had a key ring which played happy birthday. You had to renew the battery in time for the birthday each year. That worked better. Less disruptive to other diners. No spinning through six songs to find Happy birthday.
Somewhere there must be a tee shirt with a build in hapy birthday song. There used to be a tee shirt which played merry christmas at christmas time. I had one. You have to take the batteries out of six months later they leak down the shirt.
If you are travelling, or waving off family who will be away on a birthday, you can send a card with their spouse or parent who is accopanying the birthday boy or girl.
To be sure the restaurant remembers that it\s your birthday, you can wear a birthday tee-shirt. In a large group that also tells the waiters where to set down the cake with the candle.
One year we ordered for me a cake with my photo on it. It was a ity to cut the cake and immediately lose it. Another year instead I ordered a set of a dozen cup cake toppings, so I could put them all over the cake, or on more than oen cake, to celebrate on both Saturday and Sunday, or midweek on my actual birthday and again tat the weekend when I met family.
Some people arrange surprise trips and surprise reunions. Be sure to tell the birthday boy or girl that you have a surprise and a visitor that day. Otherwise if they think nothing is planned and you have forgotten them they might take a train trip to see a distant friend or relative so that your surprise trip to Paris has to be cancelled. (I hear of this happening once.)
You can also make sure they are dressed suitably for a smart place such as a Michelin restaurant or opera, or a companing and birdwatching trip, or skiing, or on a breezy boat, or a hike with weatheproof and safety and security devices.
If you want to order a tee shirt saying birthday boy or girl for an adult or child, or birthday helpers, do so well in advance to allow time for the post and not have to pay extra for overnight delivery.
Birthdays Online
Another possibility which was done during the Covid lockdown, is an online gathering. The orgnaizer sends everybody a happy birthday greeting or ballons or the face of the birthday person to use as a backdrop.
Food and Drink
The birthday boy or girl (by which I mean adults as well as or rather than childen) is sent either a cake or a bottle of sparkling wine. Individuals worlwide buy themslves a similar cake and/or sparkling wine and have a suitable decorative plate or drinking glass. At the start, middle, or end, everybody sings Happy birthday, and eats and drinks at the same time as the birthday person.
Happy birthday!
Useful Websites
Morrisons have birthday headbands. three pounds and three pounds fifty.
Mine was gold colour at 3.50. I wanted the multi colour but gold was more elegant. However, it disappeared into my blonde hair.
The brand on the supporting card was for wwwhootyballoo.com
To my surprise they were charging more, four pounds ninety nin pence. Admittedly, you got money off for signing up on their website. They offered the headband in silver and rose gold as well as gold. Their website had lots of cake toper, banners and see though confetti balloons. Hm, I thought. Vry pretty. Such fun. Although It might make a mess. I suppse you can vaccuum it up.
Temu has birthday tee-shirts. A huge range for men, women and children. Some come in assorted colours.
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