I know it's depressing. After the 4th of July, the rest of the summer threatens to be party-less and boring, unless you have a whole slew of friends and relatives with summer birthdays (and even then, who wants to spend the summer inside stores, combing the dirty, picked-over aisles for birthday gifts?).
Happy 4th of July Eve! Here are my favorite Independence Day classics to help your last-minute party planning along.
With July 4th literally right around the corner, I thought it high time to discuss the legendarily tricky and very important notion of what to bring to a party. The difficult thing with a holiday like the 4th is that it's often celebrated with barbecues or cocktail parties, events for which gift ideas don't necessarily spring to mind like Diaper Genies and Teddy Bears do for a baby shower.
Dear Penelope-
We're about to host our annual Clark family 4th of July barbecue. I've got decorations, great food to grill and the only thing we're missing are fireworks for our kids. My husband usually orders them from North Carolina, but this year we found out our favorite vendor is out of business! I'm looking for a fun (and safe) alternative to keep the kids happy. Chelsea Clark
Collingswood, NJ
It's time to discuss the Great American Cookout. Even if some of my readers prefer not to barbecue on Independence Day, most families spend the 4th grilling everything they can get their hands on. Not a master of your grill? Haven't harnessed your grilling chi? That's quite alright. Don't be intimidated. One of the best things about party planning for a cookout is how little preparation it actually takes.
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