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The Fourth of July is a perfect holiday to
practice your social artist skills. The
weather is nice, flirty sundresses are
everywhere, and people are ready to have a
good time. Hosting your own Fourth of July
party is a great way to demonstrate your
social worth.

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How to Have a Fourth of July to Remember
by JGatz
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Here are some tips to make your Fourth of July
party an event to remember. Oh, and for our
international readers, these techniques hold
true for any successful bash.

Plan Your Guest List

You need a vibrant, interesting mix of people
in order to have a successful party. This
often means looking beyond your Fave Five.
Certainly, invite your best friends. But mix
in people that maybe you don’t know quite as
well. Try to include one new acquaintance for
every two close friends that you invite. 
Doing so, will expand your social circle and
ensure that people at your party don't get
bored by seeing the same old people.

Leading up to your event, include women you
meet out socializing. When you're preparing
for the party, be sure to be in the proper
frame of mind and ready to act on any
opportunity that arises.

Pitch Your Event

You’re well beyond the days of calling a
friend and saying, "Wanna hang out, dude?"
Instead, you need to properly invite people to
your party. Everyone is busy these days,
especially on a holiday. So you need to make
your party stand out. Make it something they
can't bear to miss.

You can make your party stand out by sending
invites. These don’t have to be stodgy,
engraved invitations. You can use an online
service such as Evite or even a mass Facebook
event message. But don’t just expect your pals
to spread the word about your event. If you're
not going to send invitations in some manner,
then you should at least personally call your
guests.

Prepare an interesting name for your event, or
a tagline. Use this in your invitations and
phone calls to guests. You could use "Festival
on the Fourth" or even "Fireworks, Fun, and
Fajitas!" The point is to make your party
sound fun, entertaining, and to differentiate
it from everything else going on that day.

Plan Your Party

Don't leave your guests hungry or thirsty.
Prepare in advance so someone isn't having to
dash out in the middle of the party to hit the
nearby 7-11. According to Martha Stewart, "For
cocktail parties, allow for a pound of ice for
each guest, as well as three drinks...per
person for a two hour party." So plan your
supplies accordingly.

And don't forget to account for all your
guests drinking and eating habits either. Make
sure your beverages contain a good mix of
alcoholic and non-alcoholic options such as
soda and bottled water. For your food, be sure
to include vegetables and non-meat options in
case any vegetarians attend.

Grilling and Chilling

Food sizzling on an open flame goes hand in
hand with celebrating the Fourth of July. So
whether the party is at your house or you're
gathering friends at a local park, be sure to
throw some meat on the barbecue.

Select foods that make sense for your party.
Informal gatherings are great for burgers and
hot dogs. If you're hosting a more upscale
affair, then steak and seafood are probably
more appropriate.

The single biggest mistake people make when
grilling is overcooking the food. Many
professional chefs advise touching the steak
to test how done it is.

Rare: Touch your thumb and forefinger together
so you form a circle. Press on the fleshy pad
under your thumb, next to your palm. It should
be soft and a little bouncy. This is how a
rare steak feels.

Medium: Touch your thumb and middle finger
together and press on the fleshy pad under
your thumb. There should be some give and it
should feel springy to the touch. This is how
a medium steak feels.

Well-Done: Touch your thumb and little finger
together. Press on the fleshy pad below your
thumb. There should be no give and it's very
firm. This is how a well-done steak feels.

Party Fireworks

The use of fireworks in celebrating the Fourth
of July goes all the way back to the very
first anniversary after the signing of the
Declaration of Independence. Founding Father
John Adams wrote to this wife that "guns,
bells, bonfires, and illuminations" should be
used throughout the country.

Today, obviously, fireworks are still used in
celebrating the holiday. However, laws and
legal statutes vary widely. Research your
local area and find the perfect spot to watch
the public fireworks display with that special
someone. The rewards that night will be
worth the extra effort.

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Party Like It's 1776!
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Do it up and have some fun. To really make
the MOST of this event...and for that matter
every other event that ever happens in your
life...you'll want to have your social skills
down.