Whether it’s Obama or McCain…there will be plenty of reasons to get together this election year.  Gather your friends and family for a good old fashioned, all-American gathering and show-off your true patriotic spirit.

For the décor, be true to the red, white and blue.  We decided to start with a simple base - white tablecloths, and white napkins, (red bandanas are also a fun option!) we then wrapped them with blue & white striped grosgrain napkin rings which makes set-up for your buffet a cinch; roll out the eco-friendly bamboo flatware (light, recyclable and cool!). 

For a patriotic color splash, flag bunting is great choice whether your event is indoors or out. Use it as a table runner or to decorate just about anything.  For this event, we draped the flag bunting over our dessert table. How about using flag bunting as drapes!?  A longstanding tradition is to spread it across your porch balcony or under your window sills and gather the ends to create flag drapes. 

For your table, natural bamboo placemats are a great option.  For this party we paired a red runner with rattan placemats; then added silver chargers to dress it up a bit. Use galvanized tin planters and fill them with red and white Gerber daisies, sunflowers or white hydrangeas.  Fill buckets with sand in order to anchor several small flags in the bucket; guests can wave them throughout the party.  Light this party up with glass votives or paper lanterns.  We decided to use white round paper lanterns and red star-shaped lanterns (use a simple LED based light cord to light them up). 

Go all-American when it comes to food.  For appetizers, serve up bite sized American favorites like grilled cheese sandwiches, sliders, or pigs-in-a-blanket.  Use old-fashioned popcorn bags to serve popcorn or fill them with French fries. Set out several options for dipping rather than the traditional ketchup. For the main dish, fried chicken with sides like corn-on-the-cob, coleslaw and potato salad are traditional options that never go out of style.  My favorite low fat recipe for potato salad is very simple:  Peel, slice and boil red potatoes, then combine potatoes, olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, sliced onions and just mix…Could this be any easier?

Grilling is another great option – it’s simple and fun. Oh, and it really doesn’t matter if you have an amazing outdoor Viking kitchen or just a classic charcoal powered Weber – grilled burgers and hotdogs are everyone’s favorites.  For dessert, warm apple pie topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.  Yum! I think I’m going to need a root beer with this meal.

If you’re looking for activities to create a little friendly competition, consider potato sack races to burn off the calories or how about a pie eating contest to add them back on! 

As a nice take-home gift, fill our pint size white buckets with cherries and wrap them in red and blue bandanas.  Line them along a bench and they add magnificently to the already festive decor.

To top off your night check your local laws on using fireworks and consider having a mini fireworks display.  Sparklers for the kids will be a huge hit too!  But, be careful - lots of adult supervision!

If you are looking for music ideas – Download a special mix of patriotic songs for celebrating that includes artists like, Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the USA,” Neil Diamond’s “America,” John Mellencamp’s “R.O.C.K. In the U.S.A.,” The Beach Boys “Surfin’ USA,” or go with a compilation such as, “Patriotic Songs of America,” which includes songs like “God Bless the USA” and “Deep in the Heart of Texas.”
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