Memorial Day Weekend Party – An All-American day

There are many reasons to celebrate Memorial Day weekend. The beginning of summer, the opening of swimming pools, the end of school, a long weekend and, most importantly, a time for remembrance and observance! Most families have special ways of celebrating the holiday and honoring those who have died serving the country. In these years of war there is a special poignancy to this holiday, so take some time to remember, fly the flag, and enjoy every minute of the long weekend.

Memorial Day Party Decorations:

There’s no such thing as being too patriotic, especially on Memorial Day. A red-white-and blue theme helps us remember our veterans.

• No symbol is more fitting than the American flag. Now they are even easier to display, with flag poles made specifically for decks, yards and picnics and even tailgate parties! Remember if you’re flying an American flag, it flies at half-mast until noon.
• Decorate with red, white and blue balloons, flowers, vases, tablecloths and tableware.
• Cloth napkins not only add style to your holiday, but they won’t blow away as easily as paper ones.
• String red, white and blue fairy lights in trees and bushes to add a cool glow after the sun goes down. For a more elegant touch, hang mini lanterns on a string above your party area.
• Make some red, white and blue floral arrangements using simple carnations put in glass vases. Add a small flag to each vase, and place them around your home.
• If you buy patriotic confetti to decorate tables, plan on doing a lot of clean up because confetti never stays in one place.

Remember:

Many of us save our patriotic partyware for the 4th of July and even Labor Day, but you can make those decorations work double-duty by using them for Memorial Day as well. Instead of decorations you will throw away after the weekend, choose quality patriotic accents that you use again for other holidays.

Memorial Day Party Invitations:

• To send invitations to your Memorial Day party you can use PurpleTrail to send online invitations to all the guests. This saves time and money.
• For the good old invitation you can use a heavy card stock paper and write out invitations. Decorate the invitations with a simple American Flag sticker or other red, white and blue decorations or photos.

Memorial Day Party Activities:

Parades are practically mandatory on Memorial Day. Or, they should be. Show your appreciation for local veterans, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, police and fire departments by cheering them on and clapping along to the marching band. Here are a few other activities you could include:

• Memorial Day Parade: So what if it’s around your neighborhood or from your front yard to your back yard? Your guests will have a blast getting ready. Provide red, white and blue crepe paper, flags of all sizes, a toy drum and more. Let people make decorations and signs to carry (you provide the materials). Vote on who should be the Grand Marshal.
• Memorial Day Kite Flying Crafts: If you feel like being crafty, you can even make your own. You will need wooden dowels, sturdy paper and string. You can even plan a few extras for your guests. If the wind has kicked up and you have access to a large, flat outdoor area, give it a whirl.
• Kids would love crafts in the house or a shaded area of the yard. Set up a table with paper, crayons, coloring pages, glue and scissors. You could even give them modeling clay, or set up a sand or water activities table.
• For adults, plan games like horseshoes, bocce ball, Frisbee or a water balloon toss. Just remember, if you’re planning a water balloon toss or other water activities, you might want to warn guests ahead of time so they can prepare by bringing dry clothes.

Memorial Day Party Food : It’s time to dust off the grill and cook up some sweet and savory choices:

• Go traditional by marinating your favorite meats. Prepare marinades a few days in advance and let the meats sit in marinade at least overnight for maximum flavor. You can even plan on grilling up hot dogs or hamburgers if you want.
• Don’t be afraid to try something new. Get creative and grill up some mini pizzas. Roll out your dough beforehand and then place it on the grill. When the bottom is golden brown, give it a flip. Add your favorite toppings, sprinkle with cheese and cover the grill for a few minutes to cook the toppings and melt the cheese.
• Salad recipes are an integral part of summer cooking and eating. You could have potato salad, cole slaw, fruit salad, etc.
• For dessert the choices are apple pie, cookies and cake. For that special touch, decorate your cake to resemble a flag, or use cookie cutters to make star, flag, and Statue of Liberty cookies.
• For drinks you could have lemonade, ice tea, smoothies, sodas and maybe even beer.
• If you want to plan an easy meal, make it a barbecue event and ask guests to bring the side dishes and you provide the meat. You can also make it a full potluck party and ask everyone to bring a dish to share.

Remember: Even if you don’t have a grill, you can still enjoy the health benefits of grilling and the wonderful flavors. Take a large clay or terracotta flower pot, fill it approximately half full of sand, place a layer of hot coals on top, and lay skewered kabobs of meats, veggies, or fruits that have been seasoned and marinated over the pot until the food is done, and enjoy the taste of outdoors at your Memorial Day Party!

Memorial Day Party Favors :

• Little American flags, flag key chains…anything with a flag on it works.
• Make favor bags for the kids with balloons, crayons and fun patriotic jewelery.
• You could even make each adult guest a favor by putting together a small bag of summer essentials like sunscreen and bug spray. They might even need them the day of the party.

No matter how you spend your Memorial Day weekend, enjoy the time together with family and friends. As you eat, play, and celebrate, you’re making new memories to laugh about in the years to come.