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How to Celebrate Fourth Of July During Coronavirus

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The recent wave of coronavirus spikes across the country has understandably made many people nervous about social gatherings. Though it's disappointing to have to change up traditions, there are still many safe ways to celebrate Independence Day.

Here are creative ideas for having 4th of July fun while practicing social distancing, along with festive recipes to help set the mood!

Safe Celebration Ideas

Neighborhood Block Party

If you’re looking to socialize, why not see if your neighborhood would like to host a block party for all the residents? 

Encourage people to wear face coverings and to set up tables and chairs a safe distance apart from one another. Include fun yard/lawn games (badminton, charades or kickball), sidewalk chalk for some patriotic art, or maybe even water balloons!

And since it’s July, make sure you to up a canopy tent over your hangout area to help keep everyone shaded and cool throughout the day. If you or your neighbors don’t already own one, we love this one off of Amazon for its fast delivery time, easy set up and storage, and fully adjustable height. 

Bike Parade

Maybe you were thinking about a family bike ride. How about turning it into a good old-fashioned bike parade? Invite everyone to decorate their bikes, scooters and wagons and join in the fun! This is a perfect socially distanced outdoor activity and a green alternative to the car parades we've all been enjoying for recent birthdays and graduations.

It also gives everyone a chance to show off their creativity! Take the opportunity to use all those red, white and blue decorations you have in the closet from past 4th of July parties.

Outdoor Movie Night

If you or one of your neighbors or friends have a projector-friendly wall on the side of your house, consider hosting an outdoor, picnic-style movie night once it gets dark. Make popcorn or any of your favorite 4th of July themed snacks and gather everything you need to be comfy and cozy as the temperatures dip.

"Hamilton," the hugely successful Broadway musical, comes out on Disney+ on July 3rd and would be a perfect choice for an Independence Day movie night!

Camping Trip

Many are taking this opportunity to go on a camping trip with their household. Make sure to do your research and reserve a camping site if possible beforehand to make sure you and your family will have a good spot waiting for you! And check for any fire bans in the area as well to avoid a ticket, especially if you're bringing supplies for s'mores!

Quality Family Time

There’s nothing wrong with a low-key celebration at home, and there are still plenty of ways to make it memorable! We've been relishing this opportunity to spend extra quality time with loved ones, and the 4th of July should be no different. Plan a nice weekend brunch or picnic a safe distance from others, or have a family game night. Here are a few popular board games and video games depending on what your family likes best.

You could also spend time making arts and crafts if that suits you all better — get creative and use whatever you have lying around the house to make American flags. Making a homemade flag with anything from balloons to paper towels and some food coloring can be a fun, potentially messy and silly family activity.

Of course, it's also a great time to break out the grill for some family favorites. In the mood to try something new? Check out this list of grill recipes from around the world!

Festive Recipes

Red, White and Blueberry Pie

What you’ll need:

  • 1 refrigerated pie crust
  • 1 quart fresh strawberries
  • ½ pkg. white chocolate chips
  • 8oz cream cheese
  • ¾ cup cold milk
  • 1-3.3oz white chocolate instant pudding
  • 1 ½ cups fresh blueberries
  • 1 cup thawed cool whip (or aerosol can whipped cream)

Cooking steps:

  1. Bake pie crust in a deep dish pie pan according to package directions. Set aside to cool.
  2. Wash strawberries and pat dry. Set aside 8-10 uniformly sized strawberries, sliced in half for garnish. Hull remaining strawberries and slice.
  3. Melt white chocolate uncovered in the microwave on High for 1 minute. Stir chocolate every 15 seconds until melted. Dip the strawberry halves in melted chocolate and place on a sheet of parchment paper cut side down. Set in the refrigerator for 15 mins.
  4. Scrape remaining melted chocolate over the bottom of prepared, cooled pie crust, and spread to coat the entire bottom and sides of the crust. Layer sliced strawberries over the crust.
  5. Beat cream cheese until smooth, gradually beat in milk until well blended. Add pudding mix and beat until mixture begins to thicken. Spread the mixture evenly over the strawberries in the pie crust.
  6. Arrange blueberries evenly over the top of the pie filling. Drop whipping cream in mounds evenly around the edge of the pie.
  7. Place dipped strawberry halves on the whipped topping border. Refrigerate until ready to serve!

For quicker options, try this American Flag Fruit Cookie Dessert Pizza or Patriotic Layered Jello!

Quick Cocktail Recipes

Frosé:
  • Freeze your favorite Rosé in a 13x9” pan in the freezer until almost solid (about 6 hours)
  • Make a sugar syrup with 1:1 ratio of water and sugar and bring it to a boil in a saucepan until sugar dissolves. Take off the heat and add hulled and quartered strawberries to infuse the syrup over 30 mins. Strain through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl, cover and chill.
  • Blend your frozen Rosé with a handful of ice and your strawberry syrup to taste, add lemon juice if needed or add some vodka in instead!
  • Freeze to set until your desired consistency and enjoy!
Strawberry Lemonade Mocktail:
  • Combine 1 cup fresh lemon juice, ½ cup pure maple syrup, ¾ pound strawberries (hulled and halved), and 2 cups of water and blend until smooth.
  • Combine 1 cup sparkling water, your blended mixture, and another ¾ pound strawberries (hulled and halved) into a pitcher with some ice.
  • Top with some blueberries for an extra festive feel and enjoy!

However you and your family decide to celebrate Independence Day, don't forget to take a minute to appreciate the quality time with your loved ones. The disappointment of plans and dreams that have been canceled or postponed because of the pandemic can really start to build up and distract us from the positives. But it is exactly these little moments of gratitude felt during an old-fashioned family holiday that will get us through this strange time.

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