Tyler has always been fascinated by watching cars and delivery vans drive by their condo. He loves saying hi to people passing by so Mommy Jaja thought of inviting some friends to come pass by and greet him on his birthday. She thought of decorating the balcony, maybe giving out loot bags to guests – and with that, an idea was born! She decided to throw him a Tayo, the Little Bus, themed drive-by party. All the birthday favors, from the birthday cake to loot bags, were customized to make them look like little buses. Mommy Jaja also decorated their balcony, as well as the back of their car, to officially stage the drive-by party.
Given the circumstances and to make sure that they stay safe and follow community quarantine protocols, Mommy Jaja only invited their closest friends and oriented them with a step-by-step flow of what was going to happen. Basically, it was just like going for a fast food drive-thu: food trays and loot bags that can easily be picked up and put in the guests’ trunk for contactless delivery were readily available. She also had a Tyler Standee pre-made for the party in case guests wanted to go down their cars and have their photos taken with the celebrant. All the guests were game and cool enough to also decorate their cars for the party. Everyone had a blast especially Tyler who got excited every time a decorated car would come thru the driveway because he knew it was for him.
Want to throw a memorable quarantine celebration like this one? Here are some helpful tips to remember from Mommy Jaja:
- Stay safe. Follow social distancing protocols. Have alcohol ready and wear masks – everyone had them on; we just took them out for pictures.
- Prepare lots of food to make your guests‘ short visit worthwhile. We wanted to thank our guests for their time and effort so we made sure to send them lots of delicious food! We also wanted to give the kids something aside from the usual snacks and candy, so I put a painting kit inside their loot bag. They loved it!
- Inform and brief your guests beforehand. It’s important for them to know what’s going to happen.
- Hire a photographer. You will be busy facilitating the movement of cars, taking care of the food and loot bags and saying hi to friends!