The Ultimate Backyard Party: Celebrating Friends and Family

This post may contain affiliate links. See disclosure page for more information.

This post does contain affiliate links

In life we seem to go through so many phases of friends. First those that we meet in grade school, then high school, then possibly college, and then work.   Then we have those friends that we meet when our kids start school and then sports. It was when my third child was born and we thought to ourselves “we never see anyone anymore”. We never have or go to social events. We are all so busy with Life.  It was then that we decided to throw a party and invite our wedding guests. – the ones we invited to our wedding 9 years earlier.  We did not see many of them anymore but thought it was a great starting place- and it would not make it “wierd” when they suddenly hear from us so many years later.  I also was at a time in my life when I just really really wanted to be thankful for all those people who have been in our lives, who we still consider friends but we just don’t see or talk to anymore.

This is how the Annual Friend and Family Party came about. (But I cannot forget that the other reason was because my husband’s garage had gotten so incredibly messy and cluttered I needed an excuse for him to clean it out- and it WORKED).  It has evolved over time and it includes everyone.  We even let our kids invite their school friends and their families.  It has gotten to be a great way for the kids to stay connected to friends they may not see very often as well and a chance for us to get to know their families.

An annual party to celebrate friends and family does not have to be large, or even costly. (Ours has grown over the last 9 years) Although we have set a budget for ours, others who wanted to start this tradition could easily do it without spending much money.  We start thinking about this party in the fall ( 10 months ahead!) when we shoot our first deer.  We use this venision to make Venison Wild Rice Brats.  Yum!  We also provide drinks, but if that was not in your budget you could easily have a Bring your Own Beverage policy.  The party is POTLUCK style for the rest of the food and that gets to be so interesting!   There is a huge variety of food and every year is so different.

The best part of having an annual party is seeing the kids grow up. These are kids that may only be seen once a year, but on that day we can awe at how much taller they are and how much more mature they are (hopefully).

We love to have activities for the kids to do.  A person would not have to have entertainment for the kids- kids are really good at entertaining themselves! You could have simple games or even some balls for the kids to play with.  But over time, the party has grown.  Every year we rent a Snow Cone Machine from a local party rental store.  Had we known this party was going to continue for 9 years it would have been a better investment to buy one.  Whether it is hot or cold out, the kids love their snow cones.  Because the party is in September, both Target and Walmart often have their snow cone syrups on clearance so we can stock up. The snow cone cups can be bought  here.

We also found a great popcorn machine online.  This thing has lasted us many years and my husband even bought a second one for his work.  We make popcorn for the kids to eat while watching an outdoor movie.   Now this has evolved over time.  It started out with a sheet stretched between 4 boards and attached to posts.  My husband used recycled deck lumber and the thing was so heavy to move and huge to store.  One day a storm came though and that was the end of that.  We tried another method of building with wood but that too ended up just falling apart.  After 8 years we decided to purchase an inflatable screen. This is much easier to store then the homemade ones.   To make it budget friendly all you really need is a sheet hung up on the side of the house.  We really don’t have the right spot for this so the blow up screen it is.   We then use a projector like this one attached to a dvd player and a SPEAKER like THIS.   It has dancing lights and a microphone so the kids can have a dance party too! This kids have loved this every year!

When they were younger when it got dark out my boys would organize the Annual Toad Hunt.  They would go around with flashlights and see who could collect the most toads. Poor things! Most of the kids are older now so the toads are safe- thank goodness.

Depending on budget, we also try to have one other activity for the kids.  I have brainstormed ideas and spent hours at the computer over the years trying to find unique entertainment for the kids.  I will save you the search and list them right here!  We have had a magician, a balloon-maker, a facepainter, and Caricaturists, and a bouncy house, an obstacle course, a cotton candy machine (this one has worked well and did you know you can use jolly ranchers?!) We have had outdoor games including a parachute, volleyball, tetherball, inflatable human soccer,  yard dice and a dance party with the Karoke machine. Whew!

But really the most important this is being together, seeing each other, and  celebrating friendships and  family.  Being able to be thankful for those around you, reconnecting relatiohships, and having something to look forward to each year makes it all worthwhile.  It melts my heart that one of our family friends who is now 89 years old travels 60 miles to come to this party.  He pulled me aside to thank me for inviting him.  He was so happy to be out of his apartment and looks forward to this day every year.

Sometimes you don’t have to travel very far to be part of an adventure- you can create one in your backyard.

What other party ideas would you recommend?  Please comment below.  Thanks!

Jennifer

This post does contain affiliate links.  My clicking on a link and purchasing I may be compensated a small amount to fund the blog.

Want to save this info for your next backyard party?  Pin it!