Seven Virtual Friend Dates That Aren’t Your Average Zoom Happy Hour
Let’s be honest: you can’t afford to let your friends slip away during this quarantine. Can you imagine having to deal with returning to normal AND trying to make new friends? You’d have to figure out the humor threshold of these hypothetical new friends. Some are bound to be prudes and some might even be named Karen. I don’t want that for you, so we are going to get you in the zone to keep your friends. Friendzone, where we keep the “end” out of friendships. Which makes it fri-ship and everyone knows that is better than end-ship.
Here’s how we are going to keep you and those friends together: you are going to organize virtual friend dates to keep in touch. I’m literally so happy for you and your new role as a friendship ambassador. I know you’ll do great. We have a list of suggestions to help you along the way.
Cook together.
Text the ingredients of your favorite recipe to your friends a week ahead of the planned date. FaceTime, Skype, or Zoom and teach your friends how to make the recipe over the call. Catchup and feel no guilt about getting some LOLs with the gals as you get the family dinner completed at the same time. Side note: if any of my friends are reading this, you should be calling me daily to do this. You know I can’t cook worth beans. Why aren’t you helping me?
Workout together.
One of the best bonding moments I ever had with friends was when we did a 60-day boot camp (it may have been 30 days, but it felt like 60.) Nothing quite brings you together like passive-aggressively whispering, “Do boot camp, she said. It’ll be fun, she said,” while gasping for breath and lifting weights. You don’t need to be in the same room to experience the 3 F’s of friendship: fitness, fatigue, and well… friendship.
Write alternative lyrics to songs and replace words with COVID-19 terminology.
Everyone can have one prepared or do an impromptu version on the spot. Nothing says friendship like a little virtual karaoke.
Make fun of those lame people that make up alternative lyrics to songs replacing the words with coronavirus terminology.
If you can’t make fun of yourself, make fun of your friends.
Stare meaningfully into each other’s eyes while eating cereal.
Captain Crunch is ideal because as it shreds the rough of your mouth, it will naturally bring tears into your eyes. That will show your friend that you are a really empathetic person.
Makeup Tutorials.
This one is my favorite idea. Pick a person once a week that researches a makeup technique. They will be doing a tutorial for the rest of the friend group on how to best do it. This is especially fun if your supply is getting low and you have to do some improvisation. Wing it!
Party theme and decoration.
You don’t need to be invited to a party. You are the party and you are creating it. Zoom party with friends while you put up Christmas lights. Get a sparkly dress on and dance like no one is watching because maybe they can’t see well from that angle. My daughters threw two weddings for stuffed animals last weekend. I wore my wedding dress to one of them, added some red lipstick, and my husband catered. If I had my shit together, I would have FaceTimed my nieces and nephews so they could be guests.
You’re doing great. You deserve some laughs and time with people you like (through video chat, not in person). They told me to make sure and tell you that you can also just call and FaceTime to talk with no extra hoopla. Though they prefer for you to floss first- what a weird detail. Have you had previous issues with that? We’ll have to get into it later. But really, please, we don’t want you to feel alone.
Written by: Mandy Waysman