Memorial Day Weekend marks the beginning of summer on most people calendars. It is a time to enjoy being outside with family and friends, and talk about the awesomness that the summer season will bring. There are few things to remember when preparing for your Memorial Day weekend festivities. Most likely you’re attending someone else's party and will be a responsible for bringing your own items. I have put together a Memorial Day checklist so that you don't arrive unprepared.

1. Food

Make sure to bring at least one bag of 99 cent chips. There will be plenty of meats, potato salad, fruit platters and other appetizers to go around. The idea is to eat as much of other people’s food as possible, but it's okay because every party needs chips.

2. A Sufficient Amount of Beverages

The general rule of thumb is a single bottle of water per person, and one six-pack per couple. The party should already have buckets full of Poland Spring waters and a variety of soda options, so there is no reason to bring additional refreshments. Your buddies have most likely bought way to much beer, so the one six-pack of domestic cans is perfect for you and your girlfriend. It's a great way to say, "your only staying for a bit" or "that your not really drinking today." Then as the day goes on you act like your buddies convinced you to stay, and now you can drink all of their beers. Winning!

3. A Styrofoam Cooler

The cooler is key in the packing process, and nothing says party more than a Styrofoam cooler. By purchasing these coolers before every major event this summer, you will never need to buy a real cooler of your own. The Styrofoam cooler can barely fit your six-pack and two bottles of water, and will most likely break within the first hour of using it. BUT WHO CARES!?! Someone at the party will feel bad that your cooler broke and will offer up space in their cooler. This amateur will take out some of their items in order to make space for yours. Your items now have a new permanent home and are mixed in with someone else's stuff. Your free to pull beverages from that cooler for the rest of the day! That's how you DEBATE!!!... Oh and don't worry about the ridiculous Styrofoam mess on the floor of the boat or deck, the party's host will clean it up.

4. Chairs

Make sure you don't bring any chairs of your own. Whether it's a cookout or a party on the beach, there will be plenty of chairs scattered about for you to use. There is no need to carry an awkward lawn/beach chair across a short distance and get all sweaty. The other people attending the party already lugged more than enough chairs for everyone. As soon as you see someone get up for more food, quickly grab the seat and start enjoying the beautiful day. Move your feet, lose your seat... Everyone knows that.

5. Fireworks

Every party host loves when someone brings fireworks to their outdoor gathering. Before launching them off, you want to wait until it gets just dark enough to see the colorful explosions. Then post up directly in front of the host's house and start firing away! Trust me he/she isn't going to mind, and the entire party will benefit from launching illegal exploding missiles into the sky. It is also a great way to attract more people to the party. It lets everyone around know that a party is going on and they should come join the fun!

6. Bring Additional Friends Who Weren't Invited

This step is critical to a Memorial Day Weekend party's success. If the only people to show up are the ones that were invited, the party would be so LAME. Bringing people that weren't invited mixes it up and adds an awkward dynamic that everyone loves. If you know one of your friends wasn't invited, you should go pick him/her up and bring them anyways. It will be a fun surprise for everyone attending, and you will be the talk of the party. Trust me.

7. An Exotic Pet

Because nothing says summer time party like a giant python.

8. Proper Attire

Having an insufficient amount of clothing or incorrect attire is key in achieving Memorial Day success. If you plan on swimming, no reason to bring board shorts. One of your buddies will have an extra pair for you to use. This way you can change right back into your warm dry clothing, while everyone else is stuck wearing there wet board shorts for the rest of the day. This party might extend into the night therefore a sweatshirt may be necessary. Don’t worry about it! By borrowing a friend or new acquaintance’s sweatshirt, you have really good chance of acquiring it for good. Most of the time people forget that they loaned out there clothing, and just-like-that your the proud owner of a new hooded sweatshirt.

9. Your Own Music

This party will most likely have a terrible music selection. That's why you bring your iPod and old book of CD's. Nothing gets the party going like a classic 90's mix CD, even Grandma and Uncle Ned can jive with that. Everyone attending will love your taste in music! If you get requests for songs you don't have, just use your smart phone. YouTube has every song imaginable, and the sound quality is exceptional. Also, make sure to change each song extremely quickly. No one likes a song that plays for more than 60 seconds, especially when you have so many awesome tracks to play in such a small amount of time.

10. Party Harder Than Everyone Else

Remember this is not your party so it doesn't matter what happens. You should not feel responsible for your actions or how your actions affect other people. All you have to do is show up and have the best time of your life!

If you follow these 10 simple Memorial Day party steps, you should be the rock star of your weekend gathering. Happy Memorial Day everyone and let summer of 2012 begin!