Great Memorial Day Parties

To really impress your friends and family, the first thing you'll want to do when you're getting ready for your big Memorial Day party is to determine where and why you're having your event. Is it to honor the dead? Welcome summer? Will it be at a park? In the back yard? At the lake? There are many good places for a Memorial Day party, and you may have to get creative. Be sure you check to see if you need a permit if you're going to have a big party at the local park, though. It would be terrible if you had to clear out your party early because of permit requirements, or even worse, someone else's party being scheduled to be in the same place.

Decide whether this will be a BYOM ("Bring Your Own Meat") barbecue or a potluck or both. Will you be providing all the food or just the sides or drinks? You may wish to assign things to people so that you don't end up with a table full of desserts and nothing else to eat but the meat. So think that over and decide what you want.

The next step is to send out the invitations. You can do this either through e-mail or old fashioned postal mail. You'll want to make sure your invitations fit the theme of your party.

Get decorations for the party. You can be as patriotic as you like on Memorial Day. Red, white, and blue balloons, streamers, flags, tablecloths, and fairy lights are cheerful additions to any outdoorsy party. You can also be a bit more refined if you're having a more formal party, and choose red, white, and bluish-purple flowers for table decorations, for example.

The last step is to have the party! If it starts in the morning and you're flying a flag, remember to fly it at half-mast until noon, and if the party is in the afternoon, you may wish to observe the custom of dedicating a moment of silence to those who have died. You may also wish to take donations for a local veterans' organization, which can be a big help to some people in need.

As for the party, remember to have lots of games to keep everyone occupied and a shady place to put the food and to let people sit away from the sun, which can feel a little harsh at times. Take the time to plan it out carefully, and you and your guests will be sure to have a great time!