Follow these simple tips to decorate your home for Memorial Day and honor our fallen soldiers.

With the last Monday in May approaching, it’s time to start planning for Memorial Day! We always have a barbeque and picnic because it’s the perfect way to spend an afternoon in the spring while remembering our fallen soldiers.

While it’s not a flashy American holiday like the 4 of July, it’s always one where we come together as a family to celebrate our national pride. Use these decoration ideas to plan your family party this year, too.

1. Hang, wave, and plant your flags.

The American flag is a Memorial Day staple. Whether you choose to display small flags that can be planted in the ground around your lawn or a single large flag that can be hung from a flag pole, American flags are essential when decorating your home for Memorial Day.

As a craft, you can give the kids red, white, and blue crayons to create their own flags. Remember to teach them there are 13 stripes for the original colonies, and 50 stars for our country’s states.

2. Accent with personalized keepsakes.

The reason we celebrate Memorial Day is to remember the fallen men and women who served in the U.S. military. Many families consider Memorial Day to be a very special holiday because they can talk about their fallen family members and visit soldiers’ grave sites as a tradition.

Consider decorating with a personalized keepsake to represent and memorialize the fallen soldiers from your own family. An ornament can be personalized with the family name or an individual’s name, as well as a brief message including dates. This ornament can be passed down within the family for generations, with your loved ones’ stories continuing to be remembered and shared.

3. Center your decorations around the food.

The food you prepare on Memorial Day might include apple pie, corn on the cob, barbeque chicken, coleslaw, and potato salad. These American dishes will already serve as great centerpieces, so decorate around your meal to emphasize each.

Use bandanas as place mats underneath your plates to add a rustic theme. Mason jars can be used as vases for flowers, or you could try your own craft by filling them with red, white, and blue tokens. Select your favorite beads, buttons, ribbons, toys, and trinkets, then mix them together for a blend of American colors in an entirely unique patriotic decoration.

How does your family celebrate Memorial Day? Tell us in the comments below!