Memorial Day and Labor Day are like anchor holidays. To me, they signal the beginning and the end of the summer and I look forward to them equally. The Memorial Day holiday feels really early this year and it has totally snuck up on me. We typically do not go overboard with decorations, but I came across some American flag-themed ideas that have inspired me to get into the patriotic spirit. Each of the ideas is hands-on and I am excited to spend some time creating something that hopefully I can use again next year.

For us, Memorial Day includes our town’s parade, a baseball tournament and BBQ. I’m going to make red, white and blue star-shaped cookies for all the players on my son’s baseball team and arrange them in the shape of the American flag (scroll down to see the photo). The supermarkets are brimming with fresh produce and I like the idea of incorporating seasonal fruits by making a triple-berry salad with avocado, goat cheese and almonds which will be the perfect complement to tangy BBQ food.

 Triple-Berry Salad with avocado, goat cheese and slivered almonds.

 A very colorful and patriotic tablescape

 Mason Jars that have been painted and stenciled with stars.

Love the simplicity of this idea.

Here are the cookies, a guaranteed crowd pleaser.

Very fun way to decorate your lawn for Memorial Day or the Fourth of July – make huge star stencils and use sifted flour.

Start with an unfinished board shaped like the USA and paint it to resemble the American flag. This board can be used for decoration or a serving tray.

Memorial Day is all about remembrance for those who have served to protect our freedom and many people hang the American flag outside their homes. I have to admit that I wasn’t aware of all the proper ways to display the flag until I came across an article from Country Living that I’ve shared. If you are planning on doing some decorating, here is a very helpful link that explains American Flag Etiquette – it includes the “do’s and don’ts” when displaying the flag.