Throw a Themed Family Picnic

Getting the family together for a picnic is a great way to catch up, spend some quality time together and create memories that you'll cherish for a lifetime. As much as you may love these get-togethers, when you do the same thing over and over again, it can get boring. Mix it up with by choosing a theme! Throwing a themed family picnic is much easier than you think. Just be creative, get organized, and ask other family members to help out. It will come together easily and could even become a treasured family tradition.

First things first - choose a theme that fits your family's personality and interests. Your selection should reflect the kind of people they are and what they enjoy. Here are a few fun ideas:

Gone Fishing - Have your family picnic on a lake or river and bring fishing poles, lures and fishing hats. Skip the gross live bait, since no one wants to handle it and then eat. Create a menu that revolves around simple finger foods from the sea such as fried shrimp, fish sandwiches and other seafood restaurant fare. Bring a Polaroid camera to take photos of the little ones with their catch of the day, so they can take the memories home with them.

Mexican Fiesta - Spice it up with a taco and burrito buffet. Simply fill Tupperware containers with seasoned meat, refried beans, rice, and all the extras such as diced tomatoes, guacamole, cheese and sour cream. This theme is fun for the whole family - hang a pinata, and buy some silly sombreros for everyone to wear. You can hang a string of battery-powered lights from the trees and decorate with colorful paper streamers.

Genealogy - This is a great theme for family groups that consist of mostly adults. Have each family member bring family photos, letters, scrapbooks and other memorabilia. This is a great time to have a video camera handy - you can interview older members of the family about their life experiences, and preserve them for future generations. It's a great way to celebrate the closeness of your family and reminisce about the past. Cook up traditional family recipes for this thoughtful gathering.

There are also the always-popular beach and Hawaiian Luau ideas, Pirates of the Caribbean, movie characters, decades, and holiday-centered themes such as Halloween, Christmas and New Year's.

Once you've chosen the theme, the rest comes easily. Creative types can easily make invitations on their home computer and print them out, or you can find plenty of different varieties at your local party store. The party store is also the ideal place to purchase decorations, since they typically have the largest selection available in any one place.

Don't do all the work yourself - get your family members to help out! They can each bring a dish, or you can have various people bring one type of item - beverages, decorations, clean-up necessities, tableware, food, music, etc.

Of course, you'll need some picnicking essentials - portable outdoor seating, picnic blankets, large coolers on wheels and other convenient picnic items will make your family get-together easier and more comfortable. You can find all these things and more at PicnicFun.com.

Now that you've got the know-how, start planning! Family picnics are perfect for any time of year, don't cost much, and will provide priceless memories for everyone involved.