Three Ways to Celebrate at Home This Summer

Staying home this summer doesn’t mean there’s no room for fun and celebration. On the contrary, there are plenty of reasons and occasions to celebrate, and you can do so while enjoying the comfort and safety of being home safely with your loved ones!

Here are three fun, creative ways you can celebrate this summer season:

4^th of July Celebration

July 4^th is perhaps our most cherished national holiday and is also one of our most popular outdoor celebration occasions around the country. It almost always involves firing up the grill, putting up the flag, waving some sparklers, and watching fireworks. Spending July 4^th at home this year? No worries! If you have have decided to responsibly host loved ones, you can still have your own festivities. Show off your Red, White, & Blue spirit with these simple, DIY ideas:

• Obviously, you’ll want to include stars, stripes, and our national colors as central features of your decorating theme!
• Make your own patriotic garlands with miniature flags and ribbons. You can really put these anywhere – on fences, around doorways and entrances, and you can also put them in planters around the patio or yard.
• Decorate some white paper lanterns by adding embellishments like red and blue cutout stars and/or ribbon streamers. Alternatively, give the kids some markers or crayons and let them draw on their own patriotic symbols!
• Cover your tables with patriotic tablecloths, and then you can trim the edges with your own homemade, star-spangled garland. For decorating the tabletops, a centerpiece of red, white, & blue flowers makes a nice statement. You can use anemones, chrysanthemums or poppies for the red flowers, delphiniums, cornflowers or hydrangea for the blue, and daisies, hibiscus or ranunculus for the white.
• Of course, you can always place around some more miniature flags on sticks, too. Looking for another creative DIY signature decoration? Check out these 4^th of July pom-poms in glass jars! And don’t forget to use your red, white, and blue tableware.

What to have on the menu? Obviously, something fresh off the grill is a must for the center of the plate. But what to use to complement these savory, heavier flavors? How about some light, sweet sides and desserts? From a juicy, ripe watermelon to a mix of red and blue berries like strawberry, raspberry, blueberry, and blackberry, you can’t go wrong with fresh fruits. For a refreshing side dish, try this amazing recipe from renowned chef Jacque Pepin: Watermelon Salad with Feta and Mint. For a creative dessert option, how about Minted Watermelon Popsicles? And who doesn’t love a berry pie? Try these 4th of July pie recipes from none other than Martha Stewart.

Celebrate with a Summer Pool Party

What better way to beat the summer heat than by responsibly and safely spending time with family & friends around the pool! You can swim, play, cool off in the water, or just lounge and eat poolside. Here are a few fun suggestions:

• Themed summer parties are always fun and entertaining! How about a luau, or a “surf’s up” theme? You could also try basing everything around a single favorite color. Plus, there aren’t many better ways to celebrate a summer birthday than with a pool party. Just be creative and use your imagination to envision the kind of experience you want your guests to enjoy.

• Pool toys like pool balloons, noodles, floating chairs, donuts, and various water games can really help keep folks entertained for hours. If you’re going for a more relax-and-chill vibe, then keep it simple with an assortment of floating chairs or loungers.

• Besides bringing out the pool toys, you can also set up other outdoor games like croquet, Jenga, Blongo, and cornhole. For kids, you can set out some bubbles, hula hoops, and sidewalk chalk.

Under-the-Stars Summer Celebration

When the days are long & hot, evenings become a perfect time for gathering outside to enjoy the refreshing night air, wine and dine under the stars, or just spend some great quality time with your friends and family.

To create the right kind of atmosphere, candles in glass jars placed on tables and dotted around your gathering space help to create a warm ambiance. Globe string lights or lanterns can be hung to help enhance your décor and create a more magical summertime feel. And people like coming together around fire pits in the summer as much as they do during the cooler seasons.

Don’t have a designated outdoor dining area? It’s simple to improvise and create one!

• Watch the sunset and have a picnic dinner outside by laying out a blanket, maybe put down some cushions or pillows, and then serve your meal out of an old-fashioned wicker basket.
• If you have a folding table and chairs, you can create an instant dining area anywhere you want! Just place a tablecloth or sheet, add some candles, and voila! An instantly romantic atmosphere!
• Need more seating space? Ottomans and benches are pretty easy to move around and place wherever you want them outdoors. Even the kitchen table and chairs can be brought outside, if needed!

Get creative about using your porch, deck, patio, and/or backyard to create your very own summertime celebration that’s fun, safe, and convenient. Celebrating at home this summer can be a great opportunity for family and friends to share the love together—enjoy!