What to bring to a July 4th party
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.
The most important thing to remember is your host in these situations. While he or she may not be expecting a bottle of Veuve Clicquot at their next 4th of July cookout, every host loves to get a little something for his or her trouble, and it's a great way to say "thank you" for the great time you've had (even if your host's creepy Uncle Mike made you want to escape the moment you walked in the door).
To recent Independence Day parties, I've brought a bouquet of red and blue wildflowers I picked myself and tied with a white grosgrain ribbon (for my parents), a bottle of moderately priced red wine (for our neighbors), star-shaped sugar cookies frosted with red, white and blue (for my father-of-4 boss) and a homemade cherry pie (for my in-laws).
Keeping your host in mind, pick, buy or bake something 4th of July-appropriate and have a fabulous 4th for me.
Enjoy planning.
Penelope
4th of July party invitations at MyPunchbowl