Fourth of July

A 4th of July Party Idea That Lights Up the Night!
By Carol Eiseman

Here's a 4th of July Party Idea that is jam packed with fun. It is our family's favorite summer holiday and always a reason for a celebration. Like an open house, we all invite whomever we see. Everyone brings a dish.. we supply the beer, soft drinks and burgers! I have said many times, at our house we do not FOCUS on food but rather FUN! There's always plenty to eat at our parties..but that's never the focal point nor what we all remember years later. So follow along and feel free to recycle our 4th of July Party Ideas!

Step 1 Invitations? Not with our crowd. It's word of mouth and phone calls on this event. We want to save our money for the light up party favors! Seems like everyone stops by after the parade and town picnic. There are all ages here from 8 months to 80! One word of caution. RAIN DATE, RAIN DATE, RAIN DATE.. make sure you tell you your friends when you will re-schedule if it is pouring!!

Step 2 Decorations: We adorn our porch with bunting, have our flag proudly displayed and pick up red, white and blue paper goods. Don't spend extra for ones with the 4th Of July designs! They are way more expensive and the plain colored ones do just fine to get everyone in the spirit.

Step 3 Food: It couldn't be easier. Everyone brings something like an old fashioned picnic. We do the burgers and the drinks. Just beer, wine and soft drinks plus tons of water.

Step 4 Party Games: Always a must! This 4th of July party idea includes a game our son and his friends set up... a home-made Frisbee toss.. simple but fun. They set 16 oz. water bottles on top of ski poles and threw the frisbee in an attempt to knock them off! There were lines of every age group attempting this feat. It was not as easy as it looked but fun for all. They played it in teams and then had championship. It was single elimination per player, one try and you either faced a new competitor or were out! We borrowed some tot toys from our neighbor and had a teeter totter, slide and blow up pool for the younger crew. One of my friends also got some face paints and did some of the kids faces. She was awesome! For the smaller kids, you may want to add a slip n slide or wading pool. This would be so fun for them! Just make sure you have towels set aside to dry them off.

Step 5 No fireworks this year but with this 4th of July party idea, we lit up the neighborhood with "light up Leis". These were inexpensive but so fun. Search "light up leis" and you will find them at lots of sites. Always compare prices, there is a big difference between sites! Everyone was wearing them..even our beloved Wheaton Terrier, Bailey! By 9pm our yard looked like an alien landing zone from a distance.

Step 6 More Games How about this for a 4th of July party idea? We ran a Bocce Ball contest after dark. We used one of the light up leis as the polena so the players could spot the target. Bocce is a fabulous family game. It is lawn bowling but we play it with a spin. You throw the polena (the small target ball) and wherever it lands.. you play to it. Over the years, the throws have landed the target in bushes, under trees and even across the street. Plus from 5 on up, everyone can play. It is a great bonding game between the adults and the kids. Our kids have been playing with the guys since then and it is always a part of any backyard barbeque we have. You can find Bocce at all price levels. It is best not to go with the cheapest.. the balls are too light. Target and Walmart and Sports Authority all carry sets. The premier set, which we proudly own, comes from Brookstone. It was over $100 but has lasted over 15 years!

Step 7 Party over.. everyone is still here and its after 11.. kids running wild, dads and teens playing bocce, MOM is exhausted. I kick them all out but it has been a blast! "Happy 4th of July to all and to all a Good Night!"

Carol is a married mom of four grown children. She and her family love to celebrate everything! Their family celebration experiences and traditions, recaptured from the past 2 decades, are shared at http://www.celebrationideasonline.com There are some great ideas for creating lasting family memories! You will even find photos from this 4th of July party. Explore the Family Fun section for more party ideas!

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