From drive-by birthday parties to Zoom weddings, many celebrations are looking different as we adapt to life in a pandemic. And with Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and graduations right around the corner, we’ll soon be commemorating more holidays and life events apart from our loved ones.
Thankfully, there are plenty of innovative ways to spend the day together — separately. Technology plays an important role in keeping us connected for life’s big moments.
Here are a few tips from our experts at Best Buy on how to use tech to stay engaged with the special people in our lives on their special days.
Use smart displays
Help your loved one set up a smart display so they can easily video chat with you any time. Some devices even have “drop-in” capabilities so you can instantly connect to someone’s smart speaker, kind of like a walkie-talkie.
Smart displays are also a great way for seniors who are self-quarantined at home to communicate with family, friends and caregivers. Once set up, some of these devices can also act like a smart speaker, allowing family members to control other smart home devices, make video calls, play music or download apps to customize it for everyday use.
Merge calls
Most smartphones let you merge calls with multiple callers at a time, creating an easy way to bring everyone together to wish the special moms or dads in your life a happy day. It’s also a simple way to connect with family or friends who might be miles apart, whether you’re just checking in or singing “Happy Birthday.” And it doesn’t require other tech devices — just your mobile phone.
Schedule an online call
Between Zoom and FaceTime, there are a variety of platforms to see your loved ones face to face. Schedule a video call so you can chat, have family members read each other books or even cook the family’s favorite meal together.
With stay-at-home orders across the country canceling graduation ceremonies, organizing a virtual party is a great way to celebrate a new grad’s accomplishment while maintaining safe social distancing. Have your grad suit up in their cap and gown, deck out the backdrop with the school colors and invite family and friends to join so they can gush about the new grad and offer advice.
Send support
This time may be stressful for some family members, but many services are available in order to scratch something simple off their to-do list. Order contactless food delivery from a favorite restaurant or grocery store, or send subscription boxes using services like Instacart or Freshly. Whether you are ordering takeout or a bouquet of flowers for Mother’s Day, it’s an easy way to show your support.
Send a video message
Create a video for your loved ones that compiles messages from family or friends using software platforms on your phone or laptop. There are also apps like Marco Polo that let you share, watch and send video messages.
For Mother’s Day, ask family and friends to record a short video message wishing the special mother figure in their life a happy day, recalling a favorite memory or expressing their appreciation for her. This is a touching gift that can be played again and again for years to come.
Click herefor more tips on how to stay connected during social distancing.