Celebrating the holiday with friends? Whether it is a last minute get together or a huge event, the Fourth of July festivities can be fun and run smoothly with a little bit of planning. Here are some quick tips to making your party popping for the Fourth.

1. Keep it simple – Don’t make the mistake of having a massive list of things to do, buy or have for the event. It’s a summer party and, unless you are having it catered, should be fun and relaxing for everyone, including you.
2.  Keep hot things hot and cold things cold – sounds simple enough, but requires some thought. You should make sure your refrigerator is prepared for the onslaught of food by cleaning it out ahead of time. If you have a 2^nd refrigerator, have it ready with cold drinks and/or room for extra food. You need to be able to keep hot items warm with warming trays. If you have the luxury of an outdoor kitchen, this is the perfect time to use it.
3.  Prepare your dishwasher – Make sure you have all of your dishes clean and out of the dishwasher so that it is ready to receive dirty dishes as they occur. You don’t want to have piles of dirty dishes in the sink.
4.  Prepare recycle bins – Have bins ready to receive soda bottles/cans and one for plastics as well as plenty of trash containers available. This makes cleanup a breeze.
5.  Have activities available – This is especially important if there are children coming to the event. You want to provide a variety of things to prevent boredom from setting in. Badminton, croquet, and water games are all easy, fun activities.
6. Have plenty of counter/table space – Your guests will be bringing assorted goodies to share. You can’t have too much available.

 The 4^th of July is a day for celebrating. Enjoy your festivities during this mid-summer holiday.