My absolute favorite holiday is July 4.. The entire day is spent outside, the food is great, and the beer is cold. It’s also fun and relaxing! Here’s how to make your Fourth of July memorable.
12+ Ways to Celebrate July 4 at Home
Fourth of July Decorations
- I’m a fan of using holiday napkins and paring them with white plates and red plastic cups. That way, I can reuse the plates and cups for other parties.
- Wrap tin cans in patterned red, white and blue scrapbook paper to make a cheap and easy holder for forks and spoons.
- If you want to add a little more flair, you could add a table cloth like this that can be used again. Or, grab a disposable one from any dollar store.
- Finally, if you’re a person who likes centerpieces, grab some white daisies and red carnations from the grocery store. Use a vase you have or wrap another can with festive paper and use that to hold the flowers. You can even tuck a little flag in the bouquet.
Bring on the Parade
Have your kids decorate their bikes and roll through the neighborhood placing candy cups on your neighbors’ doorsteps.
Take the red cups you’re using for your meal and draw a few white stars on them with a paint marker. Then, fill the cups with traditional parade candy (who doesn’t love Frooties!) and maybe a glow bracelet or two.
If your kids won’t do a parade (like mine!), just fill up the cups as a little treat for the party.
Backyard Activities
Sprinklers, squirt guns, water balloons, bag toss – bring out all the backyard activities. If you’re having people over, ask them if they have any backyard games to add to the fun.
Or, try one of these ideas that require just a little bit more planning:
- Play croquet! This is a classic game that not a lot of people have probably played before.
- Paint a few bases in your yard, pick teams, and have a whiffle-ball game. Be sure to buy extra bats and balls – especially if the adults are playing!
- Make your own mini-golf course (or have the kids do it).
- If you’re having people over, host a couples’ tournament. Kids and adults pair off and compete in different backyard games like bag toss, ladder golf, dizzy bat – any game where teams of two can compete head to head. Keep score and make a funny trophy for the winners.
- Have a tie-dye party with blue and red for colors.
4th of July Food
I like to keep things easy for a party. Here are a few meal ideas that won’t take much time and keep you out of the kitchen:
- Hot Dog Bar – Set out things like crushed chips, pineapple, bacon, jalapenos, chili, cheddar cheese, pickles, ketchup, and mustard so people can create their own hot dog. Add baked beans, a fruit bowl, and little bags of chips for sides.
- Walking Tacos – Doritos, ground beef/chicken, shredded lettuce, cheese, salsa, and sour cream. You won’t even need plates for this meal!
- Pizza – I’m completely serious. Just order a bunch of pizzas – keep it easy! For dessert, have an array of store-bought ice cream and popsicle treats.
- Dessert – For me, this is the most important part of any meal. You could do an ice-cream sundae bar with all the toppings (chocolate chips, crushed cookies, sprinkles, gummy bears, etc). Make a festive cake, have a DIY sugar-cookie-decorating bar, create a donut wall or try out a new dessert recipe, just for fun.
End you July 4th celebration with sparklers and a backyard (or indoor) movie!
How are you celebrating July 4 this year?
