Virtual 100th birthday

Video messages from everyone, as you say, in small doses, would most likely cheer her up. Try and think of some people outside the family - her milkman or a neighbour or some long lost friend, to give her a real "This is your Life" - type surprise.

Perhaps everyone could hold up a similar item when recording - a champagne glass, a single red rose, or a coffee mug, a particular book, or wear a home-made paper hat.... something to link the videos together with a theme running through them all.

I know you said your mum isnt interested in photos but if everyone took a photo of themselves could they all be incorporated into one big picture, or can you get pictures of places your mum knows online and put them together, in a photobook maybe. I am not very techy but its a thought. Poems, music, someone singing or reciting online.
Oh yes the purple poem, there are many others online sone very funny, which coukd be put together so she can look at them later.
I hope she has a very happy birthday.

Thank you both for suggestions there. Yes the photobook a good idea as gives her a chance to browse at her own pace in days after. Will take a bit of prep! and I am not chief organiser as live abroad. She is very happy gardener or used to be so I think a flower theme would be very appropriate.

Hope your mum has a lovely day and good luck with the photo book apparently it’s easy (when you know how). ?

My dear old Dad loved the printed photo books his grandkids did for him in the last few years of his life. There were captions printed on each page detailing the event. He enjoyed browsing and reminiscing with them.

I’m sure there are many but I’ve used an online company called Photobox to print photos. It’s easy enough to do. They do lovely photo books

We have a violinist locally who goes and plays music outside people's homes for birthdays etc. Is there anyone like that near your Mum. Have a look at the local community fb page for her area or ask on there. Our gentleman is playing for someone in our road today.

Jan51 that sounds lovely. One of my shielding neighbours had a young man playing Happy Birthday on the bagpipes outside their house at the weekend. I watched from my doorstep and it moved me to tears.

With lots of musicians out of work at present I'm sure you would be able to find someone for a small performance. I'm sure that would be very special.

Hope your mum has a great day. We will be facing this problem in a few months. Hope it goes well xxx

How lovely that your mum is still alert.
My mum will be 100 in September but has dementia so she will not have a clue about what is going on. She doesn't recognise me any more which I find very sad. She is happy though.

We had a 100th birthday in the extended family in May - the care home where the 'birthday girl' lives, put on a wonderful spread for her and others in the garden - all socially distant of course - and one of her daughters attended - again at a distance.

There was a Zoom video link to other far-flung members, and it all went very well.

The 100 year old after a time asked everyone to leave! She had had enough and said she needed a lie down. Which I think is fair enough - at that age you should be able to do as you please.

I think wearing something to link everyone in the various video messages is a really good idea.

Hope it all goes well.

I had a relative who was 80 in April, his children and grandchildren put together and bought him a really good
I-Pad, they asked everyone over via social media messenger to send in birthday greetings and messages ( with strict instructions NOT to say anything on FB, as Grandma is glued to it and "it would spill the beans"). His granddaughter put it all together on his new I-Pad, so when he opened his present he was urged to see what it could do and hey-presto messages from all and sundry already there. He was to put it in a good old fashioned way "gob smacked" and wanted to know how they had managed it without him or Grandma knowing.....!!

I am 76 a d a bit upset my lipshape has changed, along with a few other things which I won't go into! It makes me look really old, I didn't mind the wrinkles and the white hair, but this is difficult. Anyone else had this happen?