Create The Perfect Family Summer Picnic Memories

by Jill Weinlein

I learned early that planning a picnic with your family can be even more fun than having one. As a little girl, my Mom would let me help her plan and pack a picnic dinner for our family's annual Hollywood Bowl night. Mom and I would discuss themes and vote on our favorite. One year we planned a Mexican fiesta, another year we prepared a French feast. It was a night I looked forward to all year.

We bonded over searching for recipes and discussing our favorite foods. I would draw up menus on colored paper and decorate them. The day before, we'd go to our favorite grocery store to buy the food and drinks. We always chose a few new foods to try, such as exotic fruit from far away lands, or moldy and stinky cheese.

While Dad chilled a bottle of wine and sparkling waters, I got to pick flowers from our garden to take with us. I also gathered fresh peaches and apricots from the trees in our backyard, usually eating more than I brought into the house. Then I would help Mom make delicious chocolate chip cookies for dessert. The best part was licking the batter and helping place the cookie balls on the baking sheet.

Mom always packed a cloth tablecloth with matching napkins, and once we arrived at the Bowl, we would excitedly set up our box table and begin eating the delicious food we'd packed in our wicker picnic basket. We'd put a votive candle in the basket to light during intermission while we ate dessert. Mom never packed paper plates, but durable plastic plates that matched our tablecloth and napkins.

I don't remember much of the actual entertainment of the evening. What stays with me about these outings is the fun we had planning and putting together our picnic basket with Mom, Dad, and I in the kitchen laughing and helping one another. I remember feeling proud as people commented on how pretty our box table looked. When the first star appeared in the sky at dusk, my mother would lean over urging me to make a wish. With our tummies full, our basket packed away, and the crowds rushing to their cars, we'd hold hands and slowly stroll through the tunnel to board a bus to our car.

Now, with two girls of my own, I am reliving some of my fondest childhood memories by planning picnics with them. Whether our picnic is fancy or simple, at the beach, or just in a nearby park, we bond with each other and keep a favorite family tradition alive.