Throughout history, many brave men and women fought hard for independence and freedom for their countries and for the world. Veterans Day is a worldwide event held every November 11 to honor all war veterans and remember those who gave up their lives for a noble cause. If you have a grandfather, uncle or an immediate family member who is a war veteran, it’s a great idea to throw a Veterans Day party in his honor. You could also go to homes for the elderly and visit veterans who do not have family to share this important day with.

Beautiful Veterans Day Party Invitations

Go for the patriotic look for Veterans Day. You can use your flag’s colors as a color motif for your invitations. You can also play around with the flag’s designs and make different variations, such as recreating the American flag’s stars and stripes.

You can also make it look more personalized by printing out a photo of your guest of honor (if you’re holding the party for one particular veteran) in full uniform, and using it as an invitation.

Expert Veterans Day Decorations

Veteran’s Day calls for patriotic decoration, and that means you can use all of your 4th of July party decorations. Use red, white and blue banners, streamers and balloons. If you can find star-shaped balloons and decorations, all the better. This color motif isn’t too strict, though. You can also mix it up with navy blue colors and silver. Don’t forget to fly patriotic flags outside your home or reception hall.

If you’re having a party for a group of veterans, get their pictures and have them scanned. Print enlarged pictures and put them up on walls for display. You can even go a little museum-like by writing a brief biography underneath the pictures, where guests can learn more about our beloved veterans. You can also put up pictures of fighter aircrafts, tanks and key areas where your veterans have been during wartime. Put basic information along with the pictures. This will generate interest and start conversations.

For tablecloths, you can use a dark navy blue color with red piping. For table centerpieces, you can have red poppies, the symbolic flower for Veterans Day. You can also use floating candles in the same color, in a shallow bowl with water. Since the day is all about our veterans, an additional centerpiece could be a picture-sized card with the veteran’s photo, and a small caption that will state the veteran’s name, his time spent in the war, and where he fought.

You can also use memorabilia like medals and uniforms, but put them inside protective plastic containers to keep them safe.

You can also set up a stage for hosting the party. It’s useful especially if your party is going to be held in honor of several veterans, since you will be introducing them before the party ends.

If you have a video tribute to show at the party, make sure you have a white screen and a projector set up so that everyone can see it easily.

Some of your guests will probably be old-timers, so make sure you have everything they need for their maximum comfort. Ask them if they have any special needs in advance. Keep an extra wheelchair and walking aid, just in case.

Games and Activities for Veteran Party People

Story telling
• Trivia Game. Divide your guests into three or four teams, mixing veterans with non-veterans. Ask trivia questions pertaining to wars fought. It will be pretty interesting to see veterans answer without reading from the history books, since they were actually there.
• Veteran Bingo. If you are holding a party in honor of several veterans, make copies of pictures of their younger selves, enlarge their faces, cut them in squares and paste them on a “bingo card”. Distribute these cards to your non-veterans guests and have them look for the people whose faces appear in the pictures and have them sign. The person who completes the signatures can yell “Bingo!” Since these photos were taken when they were younger, every signature and connection will be a discovery for the non-veteran.
• Storytelling. Here’s an activity where the veterans can really take center stage. Let them tell their own stories and experiences while fighting in the war. If you don’t have many veterans in your party, you can ask some of your guests to tell stories of their own family members who were in the war. Hearing these stories makes the war more real and personal for everyone, and makes the lessons learned last longer in our hearts.

Fireworks display
• Thank You Cards. Set up an arts and craft table for your guests to make their own personalized thank you cards for the veterans. Your guests can give them later to the veterans.
• Picture-Taking. Immortalize your memories of your veterans by taking lots of polaroids or digital pictures. Print out these pictures and hand them out as souvenirs. Keep a copy for a scrapbook, to be signed by both guests and veterans themselves. (Tips on how to make a scrapbook)
• Parade and Fireworks. Your local community will most likely host a parade and fireworks in honor of our brave veterans. Set up seats and tables outside your home for a comfortable viewing place. (Learn the Four explosive ways to use fireworks)

The best part of any Veterans Day party is to just let the veterans relax, mill around and socialize with each other. They’re sure to enjoy talking to friends and reconnecting with family, and will be very appreciative of all the work you put into this event.

Veterans Day Food

When preparing for the Veterans Day party, you have to consider the different kinds of people attending: young, middle-aged and older men and women. Make sure that you have dishes that will be attractive to them, while also considering the health requirements for the older guests and the veterans. Here are some easy-to-make, healthy dishes you can serve on Veterans Day.

• Red, White and Blue Jello. Make Jello in red and blue colors, and cut in cubes. In a glass, put a layer of red jello, followed by a layer of light whipped cream. On the next layer, put blue Jello. Continue this until the glass is full. You can also garnish with strawberries and blueberries.

Red jello

Open sandwich

Yummy Pastries

• Red Poppy Open-Faced Sandwich. The red poppy is the symbol for Veterans Day. You can make this by putting ham or cold cuts on top of a piece of wheat bread. Cut the bread into the shape of a poppy and put a black olive in the center. You can put other toppings like egg, lettuce and tuna salad on the side, to enhance the meal.
• Red Poppy Pastries. Cookies and cupcakes can come in beautiful poppy shapes by cutting them out with a cookie cutter or shaped by a knife. Put red frosting all over and a dollop of chocolate chip in the middle.

Check out this fireworks display for a fun Veterans Day activity.

Veterans Day is the perfect opportunity for us to give back love and appreciation to our real-life heroes. Whether it’s a simple gathering our an all-out party bash, our veterans will surely be touched by all your effort to make this day special for them. Have a good time!