Time continues to pass indifferent to the global pandemic.
And time passing means birthdays under quarantine.
No birthday is more noticeably lame under quarantine than a 21st, typically spent out at bars downing the first legal drinks.
One New Jersey family was not about to let the milestone slip past without a good dose of nightlife. Like plenty other households, one family of four in Roseland, New Jersey is taking national and local guidance to "STAY AT HOME" very seriously.
The Torchia's have hunkered down to stop the spread.
But when one of family members faced the prospect of a 21st birthday spent at home with the same other three people he's seen the last couple weeks, doing the same things he's done for the last couple weeks, the family kicked things into high gear.
Of course, without this crisis his birthday would likely involve him heading to a bar with family and friends, proudly flashing a legal ID, and likely never paying for a single drink the entire night.
Apparently for the Torchia's, sitting home and twiddling thumbs was too drastic a nosedive from the alternative.
So, they decked out the garage and turned it into what they dubbed, "Club Quarantine." We're talking dim lights, a bar setup, and a tasteful leg lamp.
The birthday boys younger sister shared some footage of the ramshackle club to TikTok.
She told BuzzFeed News about the creative night.
"The night of [my brother's] 21st was a great night. My mom and dad put in a lot of work to make sure it seemed as real as possible. My mom even made my dad memorize lines!"
"In fact, it made this time in quarantine easier."
Many flocked to the rare source of positive news during the crisis, rocketing the post into viral territory.
Of course, in severely off-topic fashion, many just really liked remembering the leg lamp at a time like this.
Torchia went on to tell BuzzFeed News how much she's jazzed about her loving parents and their well-deserved 15 seconds of internet fame.
"The comments are full of positive words about my family and my great parents. I always knew that they were great but the fact that over 4 million people saw this video and said the same is very heartwarming and something that my parents deserve as well."
With the weather turning toward spring and "stay home" guidance wearing on, the sky's the limit on what weird, creative things we'll see in the coming months.
If you have a birthday to celebrate or want to send along a little cheer, even after the pandemic passes, the Birthday Party in a Box is available here.
Keith Pedersen/Facebook
