You're working through leftover potato salad. Packing up your red, white, and blue decorations. Trying to get the kids to sleep as the neighbors set off screeching firecrackers for the third night running.
Independence Day 2008 is over.
Get organized for July 4, 2009–today!
This exercise shouldn't take more than an hour tops. You can write a journal entry, save a few links in a dedicated 4th of July favorites folder, or blog it. I like to go all out with my holiday pre-planning by placing all the info I need in my handy dandy Household Notebook.
What We Did: Don’t stop at "fireworks at the stadium." Add where to park, ticket prices (if any), and notes like "bring blankets to sit on." Include any snags (too many people saving spaces for latecomers), and selling points of the experience (fantastic finale!)
When you look over this info next year, you'll have a semi-objective view of the great–or not so great–time you had, which will help you decide if that venue deserves tradition status.
Who Was There: I started keeping track of this after I had kids and Mommy Brain ate the brain cells that stored which friends, or which side of the family, we had spent previous holidays with.
Budget: Listing what you spent for food, decorations, travel, etc. this year will help you develop next year's holiday budget.
Include notes on details you're sure to forget as the year wears on: grocery stores ran the best sales on sodas 2 weeks before the 4th, not the week of; campground was sold out by Memorial Day–reserve early; buy a bigger ice chest; firecracker costs run on a ratio of $1 to minute of fun.
Food:
- Poke summer/barbecue/4th of July-themed recipes into clear sheet protectors for an easy-to-browse display.
- List the menu from your party, including guest count and portions. Note: 12 people will not eat 10 lbs of potato salad.
- Add a photo of the spread–a great resource whether you like to follow tradition, or avoid repeat performances.
Crafts/Teaching Tools: Keep in mind that your kids will be a year older next Independence Day; crafts that looked fun but were out of their ability range this year may be a perfect fit by next year. Jot down craft ideas, insert magazine tear sheets, print off patriotic song lyrics.
I realized a bit late this year that my 4-year-old's biggest source of information on U.S. history is Disney's Pocahontas. Note: brush up on founding fathers facts and pass them on ASAP.
Notes: The patriotic decorations are in the attic. Still have 50-plus star spangled plastic cups. Disneyland annual passes are blocked out on July 4th.
No detail is too small–every tip and trick you note now will provide inspiration, preserve happy memories, and help your next Independence Day go off with a bang and without a hitch.
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Brilliant idea! I always think of these things wayyyyy too late!
Maybe we should start a holiday journal for notes on what to do and not to do for the next holiday! Then add the whole Christmas list thing of need to buy and what what bought previous year, budget, blah, blah, blah……I think we are on to something!
Great idea! I do something rather like this for Christmas.
btw, $1 per minute of fun for fireworks? Try $10 per minute.
Fireworks are expensive for only about 10 seconds of fun.