The snap, crackle and pop of the Fourth of July is just days away, and you've yet to prep for your holiday soiree. Here are several ideas from storefront and online retailers to help you march to that celebratory drum. You'll find similar items at specialty stores in your area, and big-box retailers also carry festive items.

River Street Sweets (ENLARGE)

Pick up some patriotic pralines from River Street Sweets at Phipps Plaza.

Jon Waterhouse (ENLARGE)

The Patriotic Stars Wreath, available at 17 Steps in Decatur, features a bundle of tree branches fashioned in a swirl.

Jon Waterhouse (ENLARGE)

The staff at Taste in Decatur suggests serving Fourth of July guests a tea-infused libation from one of its patriotic Leifheit pitchers.

More shopping news Where do you find Bubble Up soda?  Scars? cellulite? Solutions for skin imperfections  Ways to save on everyday spending  Feel like you're part of the team with Olympic merchandise  Seasonal sales offer bargains for outdoor furnishings  Back to Living page

River Street Sweets

3500 Peachtree Road, Suite 2069, Atlanta. 404-364-0810, www.riverstreetsweets.com. Multiple locations.

This flag-waving sweet spot can be found inside Phipps Plaza. A confectionery specialist with roots in Savannah, River Street Sweets makes most of its goodies on site, with the exception of truffles and sugar-free chocolates.

It sells holiday-themed gift boxes, tins and baskets. Offer them as part of a buffet spread or give one away as a host or hostess gift. The boxes include a red, white and blue cardboard sleeve done up with stars. Tins are available in red or blue. Customers purchase a box ($2) or a tin ($5) and can fill them with any of the goodies at the store. The pralines are arguably the most popular, and each container holds about 1 pound. (Pralines sell for $15.95 per pound.)

Red wicker gift baskets with strips of blue paper lining range from $20 to $50. Items including pralines, glazed pecans and bear claws serve as filler.

Taste

416 Church St., Decatur. 404-370-1863.

Fun and festivity rule at this intimate home and kitchenware spot. Husband and wife duo Steve and Leslie Girard carry high-end and quirky items to enhance entertaining.

Try pouring a holiday beverage from a patriotically colored pitcher. Leifheit offers 1-liter pitchers in red, silver or blue ($29.95 each). The casual German design has a plastic exterior with an insulated glass interior to keep things cool. Three plastic nubs on the bottom give support.

Leslie suggests giving Fourth of July guests a taste of lemonade with natural cucumber. This powdered mixture from Urban Accents ($5.95) makes 2 quarts. Simply add water and maybe spike it with a liquor of choice. The back of the package includes recipes for martinis, daiquiris and mojitos.

Younger guests might get a kick out of rocket-shaped frozen treats. Taste sells Tovolo rocket molds ($15.95) in sets of six. The molds, made of dishwasher-safe plastic, can be frozen together or separately, so you don' t have to commit to an entire batch. The cookbook "Pops!: Icy Treats for Everyone" by Krystina Castella (Quirk Books, $15.95) packs its pages with recipes and designs.

Love Street Gift & Garden

1295 Concord Road, Smyrna. 770-434-8578, www.lovestreetonline.com.

Start the celebration before your guests walk through the door with themed yard stakes.

This cozy and colorful home and garden shop in an old house carries a selection of holiday stakes from the Round Top Collection.

Each is made of painted metal and has Round Top's slightly folk art, Americana feel. Bottle rocket and fire cracker stakes ($10-$12) come in two sizes. The smaller ones measure about 3 feet in height and the larger ones are 4 to 5 inches taller.

An American flag stake done in rickrack style runs $24. And an Uncle Sam-esque top hat ($28.50) can be stuck in the ground or inside a flowerpot, or hung on a door or wall.

17 Steps

235 Ponce de Leon Place, Suite M, Decatur. 404-377-7564.

Step into this gift shop, and the first thing you see is an explosion of Fourth of July decor. A table display brims with handheld American flags, Uncle Sam candles, paper plates and more.

17 Steps carries an assortment of products by Tag, a manufacturer specializing in decor and entertaining supplies for independent retailers. Wipe watermelon off the chin with a pack of 20 star-emblazoned buffet napkins ($6). These three-ply paper dabbers are printed with environmentally safe, water-based inks.

The Patriotic Stars Wreath ($28.50) features a bundle of tree branches fashioned in a swirl and decorated with small red, white and blue metal stars.

Tag's patriotic Coir Mat ($24.50) is a 1-inch thick, 18- by-30-inch doormat. The red mat's design boasts four big, colorful stars. According to Tag, 40 coconuts are required to make each biodegradable mat. Piña coladas not included.

Swoozie's

5131 Peachtree Parkway, Suite 1015, Norcross. 770-441-9779, www.swoozies.com. Multiple locations.

This gift shop and its online entity carry beaucoup red, white and blue.

Because fireworks and boisterous fun often unite on Independence Day, Swoozie's offers a matching series of partyware bearing the slogan "Red, White & Boom." A set of red paper napkins with blue accents and white and blue lettering comes in packs of 20 ($5.95). Red beer and soft drink Koozies ($5.95 each) have the mantra printed in blue.

And if a keg is on tap, consider a pack of four plastic 22-ounce stadium cups ($8.95). Each cup is red with white lettering.

Cocktail Hour

2385 Peachtree Road N.E., Suite A1E, Atlanta. 404-846-4414, www.cocktail-hour.com.

If fun on the Fourth means a casual-yet-thoughtful cocktail party, Cocktail Hour has the equipment.

In Peachtree Battle Shopping Center, this retailer specializes in top-shelf liquid entertaining. It carries a line of polycarbonate stemware and accessories from Grainware by William Bounds. These products have the distinctive look of glass, but won't break. Although the line isn't cheap, the folks at Cocktail Hour say it sells remarkably well.

A party tub ($175), deep enough to hold several average-size wine bottles, measures 20 inches long and 12 inches tall. Martini, wine, double old-fashioned, margarita and pilsner acrylics are $8 to $9 each.