Holiday Decorating: Fourth of July

Decorating With Military Memories

Circa: 1776-2014

          The 4^th of July is just around the corner and I couldn't be more excited! It’s not only a day of celebration with friends and family and fireworks but a day of remembrance and celebrating our freedom and independence! Of course I also love any occasion to decorate and holidays are my favorite! For the 4th of July I decided to highlight some of our family's old military memorabilia. I know that many of us have our fathers, grandfathers or great-grandfather’s photographs, military papers, letters, medals, and more tucked away for safe keeping. Now don’t get me wrong, as a lover of history and antiques I strongly encourage preservation and handling this objects with care however, I also believe in displaying these treasured items in your everyday life or for special occasions.

          When I was preparing to decorate our house for the 4^th of July rather than run out to the store I first turned to what we had on hand at the house. My wallet and husband were happy!  I started off with the large objects that were scattered about such as my World War II Souvenir pillow, a framed copy of my grandfather’s naval class picture, a beautiful American flag scarf from a friend, my husband’s saber and hat from college and more! Next, I headed into my photo albums and trunk for family items from World War II. I found several pictures, postcards, medals, and even my great-grandmother’s ration book.  After I had picked out several items I began placing them around the house and they really added a more personal and meaningful touch to our holiday decorations.  

          Now, I know that the thought of displaying your grandfather’s military papers or letters scattered around the house for all to see and TOUCH can cause some concern! I completely understand, I am the person that cringes when I watch antique shows and someone is turning the pages of a 300 year old book with their bare hands! The solution is actually really simple:  quality photocopies.  For example, one of the things that I did for my wedding and continue to do today is make good quality, color copies of my more delicate items. At our wedding we wanted to display pictures of our family but we didn't want to risk having the originals misplaced or damaged so we made copies of all of the older pictures that we wanted to use. I still use those copies today in many of my decorations and if they are damaged there is no fear because the original is safe! So if you have any paper items or photographs that you don’t feel comfortable displaying simply make a copy and protect the original!

          I hope this inspires you to share some of your family treasures throughout the holiday season! Have a very Happy 4^th of July and thank you for stopping by!

P.S. The flag in the entry way was one of my favorite finds at an antique store in Paris, Texas. It is displayed all year round but it is perfect for the 4th of July! From the markings on the top we know it flew in the Pacific before World War II!