Hosting a Miniature Cookout in the Fairy Garden

It is officially "that" time of year again! Memorial Day is upon us. There is no better weekend to fire up the grill, gather with your immediate family, and celebrate the first taste of summertime. With pools closed and parties canceled, this year might look a little bit different. But in the fairy garden, there is always time and space for an old-fashioned Memorial Day cookout! With a few carefully-chosen miniature accessories, the residents of your fairy garden will be ready to celebrate in style.

Where should you hold your cookout? It depends on the miniature garden. Perhaps a friendly fairy is willing to share his or her backyard. Hang a tire swing from a miniature tree, and the fairies will be ready to play. Is there a pool? Even better! Or maybe all of the fairy garden friends could gather by the lake or ocean. Everyone loves a beach party. All it requires is some sand. A water feature can be made from real water, pebbles, blue glass, or another artificial “water” of your choice.

Any good cookout needs refreshments. A proper cookout menu could include everything from a bucket of ice-cold beverages to food cooked on a charcoal grill. The smell of smoke wafts through the air. The “crunch!” of potato chips and snap of newly-opened soda pop cans can be heard from every direction. Yes, a cookout has its own unique sounds, smells, and sights. Miniature water bottles, watermelon, or teeny-tiny bags of chips help set the scene and fill some fairy bellies at the same time. Serve the meal on picnic tables. You can even create your own tablecloths with scraps of colorful fabric.

Food might make a cookout, but other activities turn it into a real party. Lakeside parties benefit from fishing gear, flip flops, and canoes, while no beach bash is complete without a volleyball net and some inflatable floaties. For the youngest fairies, you could provide a tire swing, a slide, or other playground elements. Picture bicycles and basketballs scattered throughout the miniature backyard. Maybe one cookout visitor brought a new puppy to meet the fairy friends! At the very least, you are likely to see a miniature bunny or squirrel hiding out under the miniature trees, hoping for some leftovers.

If this Memorial Day cookout in the miniature garden is anything like the “real-life” counterparts, it might stretch on for hours, continuing into the evening. As night falls on the red, white, and blue bunting and flags, you will want to turn on the string lights, refill the bucket of beverages, and get ready for the fairies to talk and play long into the night. After the miniature grill has cooled, the campfire can come out. It is just the thing for roasting miniature hotdogs and lighting up the night. With just a few glow-in-the-dark elements or battery-powered lights, you can create a gorgeous miniature garden scene that visitors will enjoy again and again.

Though this might not be the year for a “real” Memorial Day BBQ or weekend gathering, I hope a fairy garden party can activate happy memories and bring you a little cheer. Enjoy!