Two of my daughters had their birthdays during this craziness already and I was in the same boat. I usually spend a lot of time searching for the perfect card, so this year I decided to take that time to write each of them a heartfelt message instead, which included my memory of the day each of them was born and my take on what makes each of them special. It was therapeutic for me, and each of them really seemed to appreciate it--or at least I took the tears as a good sign!
It was the 21st birthday for one of them and she was bummed not to be celebrating with her friends at school as planned. We made a party of it though and surprised her by turning our kitchen and common room into a makeshift nightclub and bar, complete with strobe lights, shots, thump-thump music...and a massive hangover.
In any event, happy birthday to him. Mine is on Tuesday and I still remember the one year it fell on Easter, when I was eight or nine years old. My favorite aunt got me an enormous chocolate bar that was made in the image of The Last Supper. To this day I remember it as one of the coolest gifts I ever got. I ate that thing for more than a week, breaking off a different apostle each day, and saving Jesus for last, of course.