Happy Pre-Birthday @LiteraryLark!

You are so young, but 29 is the last year in your 20s, so it is a good year to celebrate!

My rec rehab therapist has a few of us veterans (two or three, sometimes upwards of four) meet online to play things like Yahtzee and Scattergories. Both games really helped us connect with one another and bring about some laughs. It's more fun in person, but it was still fun online. I never knew how to play those games until they were presented online, and I never played them in person. But we had a good time! Those two games might be worth exploring.

The movies you listed sound awesome! If you're going to watch any Chicago-based movies, you might consider some of their local drink recipes.

I spent a lot of time in Chicago (over 13 years), and I found a few alcoholic recipes that you might consider for your birthday, depending on your taste buds and needs. I used to attend this bar named Fat Cat in the Uptown neighborhood of Chicago a while back. Here's a list of their drink menu. My favorite for my birthday celebration a while back was the Hi-Hat: "A Fat Cat mainstay: muddled fresh basil and grapes, Prairie Organic vodka, ginger ale." It was sweet and barely tasted like alcohol at all. There are other cool choices on that menu as well.

Sangria is another choice for sweet drinks around the winter months.

If you want more kick, however, there's always the White Russian, Black Russian, mixing Kahlúa with Baileys Irish Cream, or a Long Island Iced Tea. Hottie Totties are also another cool wintery drink. You'd have to Google these drinks for recipes.

In the past, I used to drink with friends long distance via phone parties and being part of an online support forum somewhere. We didn't have Zoom or video conferencing back then, so we improvised with just doing the three-way or more calling feature with speaker phone while typing online and posting on the forums. We'd all make our favorite drinks and feel as though we were drinking together. We all lived in different states, and we knew each other well enough to share our true identities and phone numbers. Essentially, we did the "social distancing" thing before it was even a term some 12 years or so later. Those were good memories, despite our group breaking up a few years later (not because of the booze, BTW, LOL; it was just stupid arguments over admin stuff, which is why I'll never serve as another online admin again - long story).

For a memorable birthday, you could also add in a "so, it's your last year in your 20s" theme to your party by coming up with a questionnaire for the older and younger folk at your party. You could ask about their memories if they are older, or what the younger persons dream of or think about when they reach your age. You can then compare notes with one another. Perhaps have them write down something anonymously, and then read it all out at the end. It would make for an interesting conversation piece - especially after a few drinks. Perhaps you could also mix in what was popular in terms of movies and songs for the older folk who were once 29.

Those are just some ideas I can come up with at this moment. You have great ideas to begin with though.