The start of a new school year might have you asking, “when’s Labor Day?” The celebration in honor of the labor movement in the United States usually happens during the first week of September and Labor Day this year is on Monday, September 5th! So, mark your calendars and get ready to fire up the barbecue.
Why is Labor Day Celebrated?
Labor Day is a national holiday that was first recognized in1887. It began as a way to celebrate the progress that American workers have made throughout the years for their own rights, honor their strengths, and provide a day of rest.
You can read more about the history of Labor Day here!
Since Labor Day is meant to honor the contributions of the American worker, schools and offices tend to close to celebrate. This provides the perfect opportunity to spend the day with your family!
Get Ready for the Holiday
Interested in Labor Day decorating ideas? While there is not a specific color scheme or theme associated with the Labor Day holiday, some people choose to decorate with Americana-style picnics - complete with red, white, and blue party products. If you are hosting a party at your home, we love the idea of hanging outdoor lights around your patio, creating an American flag centerpiece, and even bringing out your leftover 4th of July decor items to complete the look.
You can find 17 more Labor Decor decorating ideas here!
Because Labor Day lands on a Monday, you get the whole weekend to spend however you like. This gives you a little more freedom to plan Labor Day activities like camping, visiting a National Park near you, spending the day at the lake, or visiting family and friends. Even if your plans consist of watching Labor Day the movie and staying in, you can still make Labor Day this year a little magical when you plan ahead!
Labor Day Recipes & Meal Ideas
The best part of any get-together is the excuse to eat great food. There is no official meal plan that you have to follow on Labor Day, but you can create some fun Labor Day food with the help of a little food coloring and elbow-grease. (But don’t really grease your elbows - gross!)
Here are a few fun and easy meal ideas to get you started:
Patriotic Charcuterie Board: With the help of strawberries, blueberries, and star-shaped cheese, you can celebrate the holiday in a savory way!
Crockpot Shredded Beef: This is the perfect crowd-pleaser. You can whip up this barbecue beef recipe at home with just a crockpot and some buns! Then you can easily transform them into sandwiches with a few buns.
Bacon, Onion, and Cheese Stuffed Burger: Want to up your gourmet burger game? You can follow this recipe for delicious stuffed burgers and WOW your guests. (We’re hungry just looking at them!)
Patriotic Taco Dip Recipe: Who doesn’t love a patriotic side dish? Layer your vibrant tomatoes and olives into the shape of a flag and serve with delicious crunchy tortilla chips.
American-Themed Cupcakes: These patriotic cupcakes are so cute and delicious too! Use food coloring and tiny flag toppers to complete the treat.
5 Things to Do on Holiday Weekends
We all have family traditions that we follow when it comes to holidays. Maybe Labor Day this year is a chance to mix it up! Try these fresh Labor Day activities with your family and enjoy the fun and laughter of family togetherness.
Trampoline Sprinkler: If you have a trampoline already, consider adding a sprinkler that goes around the top of the net and makes the party a whole lot more fun. Kids will love bouncing and squealing and you can enjoy watching them from a safe (and dry) distance.
Cornhole: If you haven’t played much cornhole, you are in for a treat. This classic game has a few official rules and regulations, so check them out and get your boards set up for hours of bean-bag-tossing fun.
Potato Sack Race: The sacks don’t actually have to come from 50-lbs bags of potatoes, but you can have a fun and outrageous time hosting a potato sack race at your next barbecue. This is fun for all ages and it provides for great photo opportunities.
Make DIY Appreciation Cards: Are you looking for a chance to appreciate someone else this Labor Day? You can celebrate some of the hard workers in your life with handmade appreciation cards or heartfelt gifts. If someone in your family is a nurse, a firefighter, a teacher, or any other job that works them way too hard, you can set a positive example for the kids in the family and bring a meal to their house during the weekend or drop off a spa-bag so they can treat themselves.
Create custom Labor Day outfits: We love the idea of grabbing some plain white T-shirts and customizing them for the occasion. Maybe you can use fabric paints to write your last names on the shirts, go wild with some glitter, or even take the opportunity to learn how to tie-dye them!
Cherish the Memories Made on Labor Day this Year:
When Labor Day 2022 is coming to a close and you are gearing up to head back to school and work, don’t miss the chance to look over the fun family photos you took during the celebrations. After all, this signifies the end of summer and nostalgia is in the air!
You can use the SimplePrints app to keep those silly soggy trampoline or wild tie-dye group photos in a safe place. You can even create a custom photo book online with all the pictures and share it digitally with your family and friends so that you can enjoy the memories.
It’s so easy to create custom photo prints online with the SimplePrints app.
Upload your photos from your gallery, Dropbox, Google photos, social media, and more
Start creating your custom photo books, unique canvas prints, or personalized metal prints and have them shipped right to your front door.
Guest Blogger: Cameya Martin
Cameya Martin is a mother, a wife, a self-identified horse-girl, and a writer. She writes articles for small businesses, memoirs for people, and fiction for herself.