That special person in your life is celebrating his birthday! It’s time to bring out the big guns and go all out to make this one memorable for him. Why resort to the done-and-dusted surprise party with a bunch of friends when you can do so much more? The good thing about birthdays is that they come every year, and we always have a chance to do better than the previous year or add a twist that the birthday boy will remember for life.
Let us bid goodbye to the age of screaming SURPRISE and scaring the daylights out of your boyfriend (though something is fascinating about saying hush-hush to everyone and screaming loud enough to give the person a mini-heart attack) and welcome the new ways to provide him with a birthday he will cherish.
Suggested: What to write on a birthday cake for boyfriend
A message jamboree
These times have taught us that being present virtually is as important as being there in person. So, involve his friends from school, college, his family, that odd aunt who has lived away since he was a little kid, and create a video with messages and anecdotes about previous birthdays or memories with the birthday boy.
You can also ask them to write down birthday wishes and messages for the birthday boy and mail them to you to create a scrapbook or pin-up board with the messages. You could also ask them to send you pictures with the birthday boy so that you can make a pin-up or graffiti board with them. You could also hang them up with fairy lights to spruce up his bedroom or living space.
With various cities coming up with gigantic letters and photo-worthy locations, you could also ask his friends and family who are spread around the globe to click pictures of themselves with one letter of, ‘HAPPY BIRTHDAY’ and create a fun banner for his party.
Create some wall art
If you are the artistic kind, this is a piece of cake- you choose an area in his house or bedroom that can do with some happy art, and go to town with paints, pictures, posters, hand-drawn messages and such like.
If drawing and painting may not work out for you (mainly because the surprise element is lost), you could measure the space and create a mural by buying a canvas. You could also make a collage of his favorite pictures of your favorite memories. You could also make illustrations with your favorite memories together or some funny moments that you laugh about.
For those of you who are not super creative, make a post-it wall with sweet notes about what makes him so special-
Love the way you cry at movies
You always make me feel better after a long day at work
Love that little crease in your forehead when you frown
Love the way you always hold the door for the person following you
Love your dimples when you smile
Love how you dance / sing/laugh
You can also get some blackboard paint and use some colorful chalk to write your messages on the new wall-converted-to-blackboard. This blackboard can also serve as a space to write little romantic messages or less-romantic shopping lists throughout the year.
Make a wish jar
The wish jar is one of the best gifts you can give anyone. This is a way to make the person feel loved not only on his birthday but also throughout the year. Write down some things you like to do together or alone, and put them in the wish jar. You could add
A hug
Dinner at (his favorite restaurant)
(video game) time
(match) time
Let’s go to (picnic spot / favorite shop/supermarket/gaming arcade)
Cookie
Cake
His favorite meal that you cook
Movie time
The recipient of the wish gets to pick any of the cards at any time, and the wish-giver gets to fulfill his wishes. This is a great way to bond and help someone who is reserved or shy to articulate his feelings. You can get as creative as you want with your wishes. (Tip: include stuff that you like to do, so it is a win-win for you)
Suggested: What Gift Can I Give My Boyfriend On His Birthday
Make a picture book
Customization is the name of the game. Everyone likes to believe that their love story is unique. So why not make a book on it? You can create a book with photographs from your times together (Instagram, Whatsapp, and Facebook will come in handy if you can’t remember dates). You could also create a cute graphic novel with the most critical milestones in
your relationship, like
The first time you met
The time you decided to get serious
Any funny incidents about running into family or friends
Your struggles together
What you like about each other
The silly fights you have
Times when you have supported each other
You can add some speech bubbles containing the most repeated or remembered sentences or phrases. You could also add some anecdotes that others have to say about you as a couple. You could also leave a few pages blank at the end to show that you intend to add to the story as you go through life together.
A treasure hunt
Who doesn’t like a treasure hunt? There are various ways in which you can make a special treasure hunt for your boyfriend. For example, if you are a couple that loves to constantly remind each other how much you love being a couple, you can put up little post-it notes in various places with sweet messages. For example, you could stick notes on the bathroom mirror, the shower cubicle, the bedroom door, the kitchen cabinet that he opens for his morning coffee or tea, the toaster, the stove, his cupboard, near his shoes, on his keychain, and so on. You could also order him lunch and add a note to that.
You could also take him around town on a treasure hunt with well-planned clues. A little gift at every place on the map would be a great idea as well. You could rope in his friends and family members to help you so that everyone is involved in this. You could begin the treasure hunt at home, continue it at his workplace, then get him to go to his favorite haunts in the city and ultimately bring him back home for a party with everyone who was a part of the hunt.
If you want it o be a hunt where he goes to your favorite places together, you could arrange one during a day off work, and go to his favorite shops, restaurants, cafes, etc. Planning it will give you the advantage of purchasing something at every stop and asking the shopkeepers to hold the item for you till the big day. Your boyfriend will feel completely spoilt and cherished when he knows the lengths you went to while planning this hunt.
Your video
In the age of Instagram Reels and TikTok videos, why should you be left far behind? You can collate pictures of him, you, family, friends, and colleagues to create a video with messages or your favorite songs. It will be a memory to hold on to for a long time.
Plan a trip
A weekend getaway or even a mid-week getaway is such a great way to ring in a birthday. Plan a trip to his favorite place, if you can both getaway for a while. If his birthday happens to fall on a weekday, plan a staycation in a resort in your city. Check with his boss if he could work online that day and take him away for a workcation. This way, he doesn’t miss anything important at work, but he also enjoys his day and has some peace.
Create a surprise
Drop-in unannounced at work. Bring him a home-cooked lunch. Instead of the ritual cake-cutting at midnight, you could order a customized cake from Cake Buzz and have it delivered at work when you make your surprise visit. Get him some goodies that he has had his eye on for a while. Buy him customized shoes or print him a tee with his favorite quote. You could also pick him up from work and take him to his favorite joint for a quick drink before you head out to watch a movie. You could wake him up early to watch the sunrise together. Or you could cook him breakfast and wake him up early, so he has time to enjoy breakfast before he heads out to work. You could also have a fun breakfast along with your cake from Cake Buzz.
Pamper him
Men love being pampered. So, use his birthday as the best moment to shower him with attention and pamper him. Book a spa or a massage to relax and rejuvenate as he turns a year older. Help him with the chores he hates- making his bed, arranging his bookshelf, organizing his work desk, cleaning out the kitchen, and such. If you have the keys to his house, bring him breakfast in bed. Give him a head massage or a foot rub after you get back from your respective jobs.
If you live in different cities, order him his favorite food. Send him a few videos or messages to tell him how much he means to you. Send him a goody-bag with things you have baked for him or things he likes to have. You can even organize a ‘food surprise’ for him, with his folks sending him to care packages with some of his favorite stuff- that yummy pickle his uncle makes, the delicious jam his grandmother loves to feed him, those cookies that his cousin is so famous for, the puliyogare mix that his neighbor makes, and such like.
Lastly, make sure that he feels like the king of the day and loves that you have spent so much thought and effort planning his birthday. A lot of love and a little time goes a long way into making him feel special.