Better than Christmas

Fourth of July is my favorite holiday. I like everything about it- which isn’t true of the other holidays. I like most holidays fine, but I can’t say I like everything about them.

For instance, Easter.  It is so pastel and fuzzy. I do not look good in pastels and fuzzy things make me itch.

Christmas is filled with so much pressure of buying and receiving. Say all you want about the true spirit of Christmas, but the year no one filled my stocking was SAD.

But for the 4th, I even like the name, “Independence Day”. A day set aside to celebrate a national moment of “I’ve had enough and I’m not going to take it anymore.”  And if you can squeeze in a reading of the Declaration of Independence between bites of potato salad, it’s a good thing. But  don’t push yourself. Enjoying the legacy of that document doesn’t have to be a history lesson.

You can do a great job of celebrating with fireworks, barbecues and, if you’re really lucky, a parade. A baseball game is good too. So many options. Everyone can find a color to look good in- red, white or blue. And it’s a judgment-free holiday. If you show up at work having only a sunburn and mosquito bites to show for your day off, no one says you weren’t observing the “true meaning” of the day. I haven’t heard anyone debating about the commercialism of parades and cold watermelon.  I don’t feel guilty using paper plates instead of the good china. No denominations damning those who observe with fireworks or without.

I love fireworks. If my husband is to be believed, I love them more than what passes for normal.  I just think when it comes to fireworks my love is less inhibited. I am able to let my fireworks love flow freely.

My favorite place to see fireworks is with a crowd. That feeling that ripples through us as everyone starts rumbling “It’s going to start. It’s dark enough now. Can you see? Look up.” Blankets touching as we all find a good spot. Faces around you turning towards the sky, illuminated in bursts and flashes. Oohs and ahhs competing with booms and bangs. I like a spot where the fireworks are directly above me. The sounds echoing in my chest. My ears ringing. And then my hands clapping because the show was so good.

whadayathink? What’s your favorite holiday? Why?