Patriotic Paper: 4th of July Honeycomb

Hey Baby, it's the 4th of July and what could be more appropriate than digging out your patriotic paper to decorate and celebrate the birth of our country? To be honest, ephemera for the 4th of July is harder to find than most holidays. I've only seen one other patriotic Hallmark Plans-a-Party pack which was not a honeycomb at all but contained just a standard 8" American flag with a stand. 

Earlier this year I did come across a few patriotic honeycomb ornaments in the shape of eagles, cherries and a log with an axe in it but they were in such a sad state of deterioration I decided not to purchase them. But that is it! In the past 10 years I've been collecting these paper pleasures, I have only been able to russell up these 2 Hallmark centerpieces I have listed here today. 

We begin with none other than Uncle Sam's lovely red, white and blue stovepipe hat. This Hallmark Plans-a-party centerpiece titled "Patriotic" was originally listed for $1.50 which leads me to date this to a late 6T's early 7T's time period. To complete the star spangled look, they added a mighty golden blade eagle and 4 stars emblazoned upon the rim. The honeycomb is slightly faded but the embossing on the eagle and stars make them shine and sparkle from light reflecting off of them.

Patriotic decorating ideas on the back of the package suggest hanging red, white and blue streams above the centerpiece and adding additional matching paper products sold by Hallmark such as a paper table cover, cups and coaster to round out the overall look of the party. They don't seem to limit the "Patriotic" paper to just the 4th of July either. They list birthdays in July as well as February, Presidents Day, Labor Day, Veterans Day or even Election Parties as a reason to pull this little gem out to liven up the place.

But it's the suggestions for food preparation that always intrigues me and really dates each piece. For instance they suggest carrying out the patriotic theme by cutting out gelatin salads (ASPIC ANYONE?) and sandwiches with star cookie cutters. Or cutting up pimientos and green peppers with scissors to garnish the star spangled snacks! Their "Drum Cake" suggestion though is one I might actually try to replicate. Who could resist peppermint sticks with maraschino cherries at the end of each one?

Inside the pre-owned package was a left over addition to the patriotic celebration - a bicentennial cocktail pick. Finding extra ephemera tucked away in these little envelopes really is a treat and makes them even more special to me.

Next up in my patriotic collection is Hallmark's "Let Freedom Ring", a fine paper replication of the liberty bell, crack and all. Interestingly, this honeycomb is no longer listed as a centerpiece and has been downgraded from center stage to merely a home decoration. With the original price being $2.00 and the font being a bit more rounded at the corners like the Souvenir font created by the International Typeface Corporation back in 1977, I would say this is much later than Uncle Sam's hat.

Apart from the bright yellow wool yarn, there isn't much more than a grey bell found in this package along with cardboard cutouts for the base and stands. Freedom doesn't have much to ring about with this dye cut replica but I couldn't pass up owning at least one more Hallmark patriotic paper piece. 

Once again this decoration is not limited to celebrating the birth of our fine country. Their suggestions include bringing out this lovely home decoration for political receptions or an Election Returns Party surrounding it with campaign leaflets, buttons, hats and banners. Their only food suggestion is to create a "Spirit of 76" cake complete with instructions on how to mix food coloring into frosting!

I do hope in my hunt for Hallmark honeycomb centerpieces I will be able to dig up at least a few more red, white and blue items to round out my collection. For now, I've got my trusty hat and the liberty bell to remind me how proud I am to be a citizen of this county.

Happy Birthday America!

Julie Green

July 4, 2015