If your parents are anything like mine, they have prepared for graduation way ahead of time. Before the pandemic started, my family and I started ordering decorations, putting together a Pinterest board and compiling a list of invitees. It is just who we are.

Now that we are well into this pandemic and can’t really host events bigger than 10 people at a time, what are we supposed to do? I came up with the following alternative grad party ideas:

A nice trip

Once everything gets better and we are allowed to leave our houses freely, a nice post-quarantine trip would be prime. It’s a way to spend the money that would have been used on the graduation party for something more personal and most likely even more memorable.

Nice dinner with family

After being a nervous wreck on my way to grab my diploma, I’d want to  feast on a nice dinner  with my close relatives or close friends and reminisce.

6-feet-apart outdoor movie

An outdoor movie under the stars and 6-feet-apart. Set up a white sheet on the side of your house and create an outdoor movie theater with a projector and some snacks, chairs and blankets for you and your guests. If the Wyoming weather allows it, of course.

6-feet-apart bonfire

If you want to rejoice with friends, build a bonfire and set up chairs 6 feet apart from each other to still be able to enjoy their company while following safety guidelines. It is a simple and cheap way of getting together and celebrating.

Zoom call party

This one is kind of a stretch but if you’re really desperate or scared to get sick,stick with the quarantine and have a virtual party with friends and family if it’s not too awkward. Just make sure you have a good bandwidth or lagging/buffering could be a problem.

This year’s graduates should still be able to celebrate their accomplishments, and despite all the different COVID-19 regulations that limit the size of our celebration, it shouldn’t be forgotten.