How to Make Graduation 2020 Truly Feel Like a Celebration

Creative Ways to Celebrate 2020 Graduation Day During Social Distancing

I have been impatiently waiting for this moment for a long time, graduation 2020. I have imagined caps thrown into the air, the symbolic gowns, the big family celebration, the prom, and the party afterward. But most of all, I have been waiting to experience the pride and the joy of my son graduating from middle school and embarking on another substantial milestone in his life. He is going to be a high-schooler next year!

These images of this day will only live inside my mind. Like with many graduates from middle school, high school, and college, this year really hit differently. Everything that we have been so excited about the beginning of the year came crashing down when the world paused.

The new reality under the Covid-19 reality dictated:

• Organizing a graduation party is against social distancing CDC guidelines.
• Calling family and friends over to the house to celebrate is not safe.
• Staying 6ft away from others at all times means no graduation ceremony.
• Wearing the cap and gown turned into something that will just stay in the closet.
• Reaching for your diploma, certificate, or milestone award is not on the agenda year.

Ideas on What You CAN Do

Nevertheless, graduates still earned their place in celebrating their achievements. They all worked diligently to get to this desired point, and that is still worth recognizing, even if it means partaking in non-traditional methods of recognition.

Here are six creative way to make sure you celebrate your son, daughter, friend or another or family member’s longed awaited graduation:

• Set up a Fun Cap and Gown Photoshoot: You don’t need a fancy camera to have fun with this one! A simple camera phone will do just fine. Have your graduate get all dressed up in their cap and gown and take some memorable pictures of them in and around your home. Don’t forget to add some fun props too, such as balloons!

• Conduct Your Own Graduation Ceremony in Your House: Just because there is not an official ceremony does not mean you cannot still make one yourself! Have some fun with this one by decorating your home and making it resemble actual graduation. Make a spot for the graduate to walk down, add some music, hand them their certification/diploma, and give them the opportunity to shift their tassel and throw their hat in the air. The best part is you can still have your friends and family attend by setting up a Zoom meeting for them to witness the big day in the safety of their homes.

• Make a Nice Dinner Together, or Order Take Out from Graduate’s Favorite Restaurant:  Make the evening special with a nice home-cooked meal that you as a family made together to end the day on a delicious note. Alternatively, try a take-out! Many restaurants are still providing take out services, so you can always go to the graduate’s ideal place and bring home their favorite dish to celebrate.

• Plan a Family Future Vacation to Look Forward To: It can be disheartening to watch a cherished day pass you by such as this one. One way to make graduation day a bit brighter is planning out a future celebratory vacation down the road when life goes back to “normal” again. This will give you and them something to look forward to and get excited about.
• Make a Video Photo Collage of Graduate’s Pictures from Each Class Year: What better way to celebrate the day than by making a sentimental memorial of the years your graduate was in school? Make a video collage of pictures that were taken from each class year, in order, and see how much growth and wisdom fostered in each image leading to graduation day. Warning: This might make you shed some tears!

• Organize A Theme Video Party with Friends and Family: That graduation after-party can still be a thing, thanks to Zoom event meetings. What you can do to make this even more special is by adding a theme to it (Beach party! PJ or cap and gown attire only!) to truly make it unique, different, and create lasting memories.

The traditional graduation of a middle school, high school, or college graduation during social distancing is tough challenging. But with a creative mind, willingness to think outside of the box, and the desire to celebrate, you can turn it to a famous memory that will never be forgotten!

You Can Still Make Your Graduation Special

It was so hard for me to envision the perfect middle school graduation day for years and then not be able to relinquish in the celebration when that day finally came. I, and thousands of other parents and graduates are disappointed over the inability to have that picture-perfect day we have waited so long for. For me, witnessing that proud moment of my son transforming into a higher schooler is something that I have to accept will not go as planned, and I am learning to accept it and create beautiful moments from what is. After all, it is out of our control.

But no matter what, this graduation 2020 is a huge milestone to celebrate, even if it is in our living rooms, kitchen, or patio. Though it is not how we would like it to be, it is still a valuable, once in a lifetime occasion that should be cherished and highlighted. I am going to make this a memorable day for my son, and whether you are a parent or a graduate yourself, make sure you celebrate too because you’ve earned this moment.