Grocery stores advertise special sales of ground beef, barbeque sauce, and potato chips. Department stores tout linen and swim suit bargains. And maybe, just maybe an elder veteran will stand by a store exit to hand out red poppies to people who may or may not even know what Memorial Day is all about. Our traditional ‘celebration’ of Memorial Day has transitioned from a serious remembrance of those who gave their lives for freedom to a backyard cookout with little thought or acknowledgement to our fallen soldiers.

The way to change that is to create your own awesome Memorial Day party, a combination of appreciation and celebration. Begin with an invitation that calls upon guests to come as a soldier of any era or war. No, they needn’t search for old uniforms and the like, but ask them to know some details about their chosen hero.

Is he Audie Murphy? Then, ask him to send you a couple of paragraphs to include in a welcome newsletter or posters you place about your house. Guests will be interested in looking from one poster to another to remember the fallen heroes honored by your invitees.

Line the borders of your driveway with small flags to signal the purpose of your celebration. This last Monday of May signals the quick approach of summer, so plan a menu that is both casual and easy to execute – maybe as simple as savory sloppy joes, chips, slaw, pickles and baked beans.

Create a buffet table centerpiece of red, white, and blue flowers and choose some nostalgic music of the World War II 1940s to set the mood. Set out everything for self service, so you can relax and tend to your guests. You could even buy inexpensive aluminum or foil pie plates to serve the “rations” and put up a “Mess Hall” sign on your porch or wherever you set up your buffet.

Create cards with the abbreviated history of Medal of Honor recipients. After everyone has eaten, distribute the cards and ask each guest to read them to the group. Or you could create a quiz setting in which teams of guests respond to questions like, “What is the significance of June 6th, 1944?"

The whole idea of your celebration is to bring together friends and family for an enjoyable event with traditional party foods, fun and laughter, while stimulating conversation about the valiant men and women who served our country. Often, creative hosting is all it takes to combine a pleasant atmosphere with an authentic remembrance that brings real meaning to the day.