Growing up, the 4th of July was a big deal for my family. It's not that we were necessarily a super-patriotic bunch, just a regular level of patriotic. We hung a flag on our front porch daily, and even left it up when it was raining (I hope this isn't being monitored by a secret agency who will arrest us because of this infraction which is against flag flying rules). There was just something about this holiday that we loved and we had a party every year (except for the couple of years we were on vacation in Colorado and Washington D.C - where I accidentally cut in front of some marching soldiers).
We would often start the day with a parade (candy!), and sometimes I marched in the parade for softball. One year I even managed to get a ride in one of the older classic cars with the funny horns. From there, the day was spent cleaning in preparation, setting things up and trying to help cook. People would start to gather mid-afternoon for the big 4th of July party at the O's. Nancy, a family friend, would come dressed fully in red, white and blue, usually with crazy earrings and crazy socks and some type of headband. Others, in less planned outfits, would also come, mostly close friends, neighborhood friends and family. The afternoon and evening were filled with some staples: food, games and fireworks. My mom would make this wonderful macaroni and cheese topped and baked with crushed Ritz crackers - apparently a favorite of George Washington or some other president. Alongside of that, there were hot dogs and brats and hamburgers and fruit salad and seven-layer salad and potato salad and magic bars and cookies and a variety of other things to fill the smorgasbord. There was usually some form of basketball (some years more competitive than others) or stealing bases or some other outdoor game and some years (usually the rainy or extra hot ones) also included Scattergories or other indoor games. And then, as the evening started to become dark, we would head to the fireworks. The location varied, from a huge hill that used to be the spot to be, to the parking lot of the grocery store or the church. There was the fateful geese incident of 2003 during the fireworks, but that's a story for another day.
All this to say, that I grew up with a celebration every 4th of July. This year, we have absolutely no plans for the holiday. I work the opening shift, because nothing says "America" like a morning coffee. Most of our friends in the area are gone at camp are have plans with family or other friends, so we have no barbecue to go to. And the fireworks are probably past my bedtime. Maybe I should just wear some goofy socks.
We would often start the day with a parade (candy!), and sometimes I marched in the parade for softball. One year I even managed to get a ride in one of the older classic cars with the funny horns. From there, the day was spent cleaning in preparation, setting things up and trying to help cook. People would start to gather mid-afternoon for the big 4th of July party at the O's. Nancy, a family friend, would come dressed fully in red, white and blue, usually with crazy earrings and crazy socks and some type of headband. Others, in less planned outfits, would also come, mostly close friends, neighborhood friends and family. The afternoon and evening were filled with some staples: food, games and fireworks. My mom would make this wonderful macaroni and cheese topped and baked with crushed Ritz crackers - apparently a favorite of George Washington or some other president. Alongside of that, there were hot dogs and brats and hamburgers and fruit salad and seven-layer salad and potato salad and magic bars and cookies and a variety of other things to fill the smorgasbord. There was usually some form of basketball (some years more competitive than others) or stealing bases or some other outdoor game and some years (usually the rainy or extra hot ones) also included Scattergories or other indoor games. And then, as the evening started to become dark, we would head to the fireworks. The location varied, from a huge hill that used to be the spot to be, to the parking lot of the grocery store or the church. There was the fateful geese incident of 2003 during the fireworks, but that's a story for another day.
All this to say, that I grew up with a celebration every 4th of July. This year, we have absolutely no plans for the holiday. I work the opening shift, because nothing says "America" like a morning coffee. Most of our friends in the area are gone at camp are have plans with family or other friends, so we have no barbecue to go to. And the fireworks are probably past my bedtime. Maybe I should just wear some goofy socks.
2 comments:
Fond 4th of July memories, indeed:) Enjoy the day, whatever you do. Jason is home sick, so I'm afraid he wont be doing anything either....and I probably shouldn't leave him by himself for too long:(
I can resonate with your comment about the 4th of July being a tradition that you recall fondly. For the first time in years my whole family went down to the Lakefront for the fireworks. My only question - what are magic bars?
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