I love the 4th of July! It is hot In Miami at that time, too hot! But I don’t let that stop me from having a lot of fun. Every year we host a party for family and friends at our house. I always keep the TV on because the SciFi Channel has a Twilight Zone Marathon on for 2 days then and on New Year’s Day. My family is addicted to that show, and we’ve pretty much memorized all the episodes. (I actually made a rolling index of all the episodes, which we use every time we watch it!) Anyway - back to the holiday. Now is the time to plan and invite yor guests. Here are some ideas to make your day special.
Start the Day with a Parade – Buy crepe paper and streamers in red, white and blue from your party store. Let the kids decorate their bicycles, make a sign from poster board and have a parade down your street. The kids can decorate the babies’ strollers or wagons as well. Older children can march with a flag. Be sure to take many photos of the event.
Play a Trivia Game – Search online for some US history facts such as info about the Declaration of Independence, our early US presidents and events of past July 4th celebrations in the US. Write don 20 questions. Ask your guests to answer the questions. The one who gets the most answers correct wins a patriotic gift. We gave away a tall Uncle Sam hat at our last party. Everyone ill have fun paying this!
Make the Food Festive – I always serve BBQ food buffet style to make it easy. Keep the food in the house, even if you are eating outside. It will stay fresher longer, and you won’t have critters flying all over it. I decorate the island in my kitchen with a red checked table cloth and put flowers in vases with flags in them. I put cardboard boxes of varying heights beneath the table cloth to offer taller places to put food platters. This give you more space and is pleasing to the eye. It is better to serve just 4 or 5 items in large quantity than it is to make 15 different dishes. Chicken and ribs or burgers and chicken breasts seem to please everyone. I always make a great pasta salad so if someone is a vegetarian, he will be happy. Everyone loves corn on the cob! I always make cupcakes covered with red, white and blue sprinkles for the kids and an ice cream cake.
Host Your Own Fireworks – We buy a big box of legal fireworks from the store, plus some extra sparklers. Only the dads handle the lighting of the fireworks. No kids! We all sit in the back yard with sparklers. Be careful with those, because they can really burn! They are not for little children. You’ll find that your guests will NOT want to leave.
Whatever you plan, have a safe and fun 4th of July!
Check back here at the end of June. When I get home from my vacation, I’ll post a few recipes.
