How to Make the Most of Your Memorial Day Beach Vacation


What does Memorial Day mean to you? For some, it's simply the unofficial kick-off for summer, a glorious weekend to mark the ushering in of long, hot, sunny days filled with playfulness and laughter. For others, it's a more somber affair, a time to remember the men and women in our armed forces who have made the ultimate sacrifice in order to protect our American freedoms. For most of us, Memorial Day is a careful combination of these key meanings. Read further to learn how you can make the most of your Sunset Beach Memorial Day vacation while honoring both of these traditions.

FOOD

It's a holiday, and you're in the South, which means that lots of food to feed lots of people is a must-have! The good news is that you're in a Sunset Beach NC vacation rental, which means that no one expects you to provide a meal that's on par with your traditional Thanksgiving spread. Keeping the party eats simple, snackable, and thematic is the key for this one, and we have a few ideas on how to achieve this Memorial Day treat trifecta.

Easy Fruit Flags

You cannot go wrong with this cute and tasty fruit flag platter. The colors are on point and the flag concept is perfect for this patriotic holiday. The only issue you'll have here is keeping the kids away from it long enough to post a picture of your creation to Insta!

Not a fan of the first design? Keep your fruit flag flying high with this kabob version. Bonus points for reusing the skewers to make s'mores after the sun goes down.

Popcorn

Very few snacks are universal crowd pleasers in the same way that popcorn is. It can be sweet, it can be salty, and (like many of us) it can be both! It can also be made ahead of time and stores easily and for days in any kind of container. Win, win, win!

Try your hand at making some of this easy patriotic popcorn for your Memorial Day celebration. Looking for something with a little more kick? This firecracker popcorn recipe is sure to deliver!

Pretzels

Oh, pretzels! The little black dress of the snack world. You can dress them up, and you can dress them down. You can take them anywhere because they get along with all the other foods and they look good in any kind of lighting. We could all use a perfect pretzel in our lives.

These snacks are quite versatile and there are many patriotic variations to be had. Our recommendations are the celebration sticks and these pretzel bites. Let the kids help decorate them!


FRIENDS AND FAMILY

Vacations are all about spending quality time with friends and family and holidays are too, so aren't you lucky that you get to combine these two awesome reasons to celebrate your favorite people into one great Sunset Beach vacation experience.

Let the bonding begin with these fun suggestions!

Play At The Beach! Sure, this one may seem like a given, but sometimes it takes a lot of work to haul ourselves back and forth from the sand. It's important to prioritize the fun parts too. Make sure you spend lots of time building sand castles, finding sand dollars and sea stars, and chasing crabs while you're here enjoying sunny Sunset Beach!

Play Games! There are many benefits associated with playing games together with friends and family. Games can promote healthy competition, team-building, and often contain moments of silliness and laughter. There are lots of DIY game options even if your Sunset rental doesn't have a stash of board games or a deck of cards. Open up a bag of colorful candies and indulge your sweet tooth while learning a little more about one another with this easy feelings game. Not much for emotions? How about a basic favorites game? You can even turn this one around with a "least favorites" variation.

Do Crafts! Crafts are always enjoyable and doing them with the people you love makes them even better! There are tons of patriotic-themed ideas out there, but we think that this centerpiece idea and this paper flag idea are two of the best. They are inexpensive, easy to make, and will dress up your Sunset Beach North Carolina rental for the entire holiday weekend!

Watch Movies! One of the best things about being on vacation is having the time to simply laze around with your loved ones. Whip up a huge bowl of popcorn, grab your favorite drinks, and find a movie from one of these lists on TV or your laptop: Daily Press Top 10 Films list, Business Insider 24 Military Movies list, or Pure Flix 6 Best Christian Movies list.

More Ideas! Read about even more things to do in our previous posts Want The Most Wonderful Memorial Day Ever? and How To Have The Best Memorial Day Ever In Sunset Beach!


THE FALLEN

Not matter what else you do this on this Memorial Day weekend, please take a moment to remember and to honor the men and women who gave their lives in service to us and for our country.

Here are five meaningful things that you can do to honor the fallen this Memorial Day:

  1. Attend a memorial program. Sunset Beach hosts its own Memorial Day Program at the Veterans' Memorial in Sunset Beach Town Park. The program begins at 10:00 a.m. and includes a keynote speaker. 
  2. Observe the National Moment of Remembrance. Signed into law in December 2000, the National Moment of Remembrance "encourages all Americans to pause wherever they are at 3 p.m. local time on Memorial Day for a minute of silence to remember and honor those who have died in service to the nation."
  3. Make a poppy. The poppy flower is also known as "The Flower of Remembrance." Make this poppy craft with your kids and use the time to talk about what Memorial Day means to you and your family.
  4. Give back. There's a saying in military circles that goes like this: "All gave some but some gave all." If you feel compelled to do so, you can "give some" by using this list to find a charity that supports military members and their families.
  5. Watch this short but powerful video entitled Taps at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and reflect upon its meaning.



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