How will you celebrate Independence Day?
Photo by deltaMike
When most people think of the Fourth of July, they think of fireworks and barbecues by the poolside. Sure, I spend the day with family-and I do love grilled meat-but my Fourth of July traditions are a bit different. While my mother makes her special egg-and-potato salad and the menfolk man the grill, I’m on dessert duty. I enjoy indulging in patriotically colored Jell-O parfaits. (You can make them with fruit-juice gelatin, if you prefer-blue raspberry and strawberry with a little vanilla ice cream is particularly yummy, I find.) They may not be glamorous, but they’re delicious and refreshing, and they hark back to happy childhood days. Food and family are always a winning combination, in my experience.
My family has always collected “strays,” inviting friends to join in our festivities, which only adds to the fun-and the traditions. Since most of my friends are musical-theater junkies, this year we’ll be airing “1776” in the house. Given the mix of history buffs and sci-fi enthusiasts in our group, we’ll also have the TV running “Independence Day” and HBO’s “John Adams” miniseries.
And I don’t mean to leave out the Tour de France, which biking enthusiasts will be watching with rapt attention, but I’ll be spinning my wheels in a slightly different direction: I will be sitting at my spinning wheel participating in the Tour de Fleece, an annual event that encourages yarn spinners to set a personal challenge to be met by the end of the Tour.
(Oh, and happy belated Canada Day!)
What will you be doing this Fourth of July? 
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
- Rating:
(3 votes, average: 4.00) - Permalink
- Comments (83)
Loading ...
Subscribe
that sounds like great traditions, i like your patriotic color dessert idea!
i plan on moving to the US in the future,
my family doesnt really celebrate Canada Day, only the majour holidays like christmas, but i cant wait till tommorow, my family think im crazy that i like the US more =P
Happy Independance Day!
from sheldon
Edmonton, Alberta
i usully go down to cape cod ma, and go to the beach, baciclly what you discribed of “as ppl think of” really
I’ll be getting up at 4 a.m.to participate in The
Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta not as a runner but
as a volunteer insuring the 50,000 runners will get
down the course safely.The fireworks? Oh instead
of getting out in hot crowds I will enjoy all the activities
via HD in an airconditioned apartment.
July 4th is my BIRTHDAY (no lie) I hang out with the family and Friends have a pool party and barbequee lol and we light our off our own fireworks off our boat then we go to the beach and watch the actual fireworks….. I always look forward to the fourth of july….. Great Friends,Great Family, Great Food, Great Memories……ANOTHER YEAR OLDER!
Well I wouldn’t because I’m British not American, BUT it happens to be the day my dad was born so I celebrate it just as his birthday really.
i will be miserably working at my crappy job getting treated like a slave.
i enjoy my independance day celebrations with lots of family and friends who stop by. we decorate early, watch the parade as it comes by our home. this year no bbq, (we can not afford it)but the grandkids will appear again later and do their little bag of fireworks. Also, we will remember our family who are deployed with prayers and well wishes.
I’ll be celebrating July 4th on July 10th after I get paid.
Can’t do anything without money.
My traditional flag burning ceremony as usual
Hi, nice to see family tradition,we always have cook out and family get togather. go to the fair and enjoy evening then watch fireworks at close range.
yeah its fu we enjoy the bands and stuff too.
hanging with my friends
I’ll be helping the nurse pick out a new flat-panel for her new $300K home. And then hook it up for her.
I celebrate the 4th July every single day. I am in the military.
Get yourself started early.Well, you may try to catch the rising sun and salute your nation under the flag, just as the day breaks.
You can go to my space to learn more about it.
The artile in space’s URL is http://crystal-battery.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!430D57EE90AA0BC7!212.entry
Since my parents work on Holidays most of the time and my sister hangs out with her friends everyday. I’m going to the beach with my friend and her family! I live on beautiful long Island with the great south bay and Fire Island. I’m going to Sailors Haven, one of the beaches on Fire Island. I love summer and the Beach. Can’t wait to get a golden tan ;D
I remembered watching fireworks when I was younger. Every Fourth of July, my relatives would come over. We’ll make grilled burgers, corn on the cob, and lemon cake.
happy 4th of july
Am I the only one who is under twenty and spending this holiday alone? :-/
by questioning illegal wars for profit and other government and corporate activities
Well I don’t knw any thing about it..as m Pakistani..
Btw happy independence to u people
.
.
I love the movie “1776″. We watched it in my history class
I will be on the National Mall in Washington DC.
I like the picture
Do we still celebrate that? Since we have a President that believes in Communism and illegal immigration, thought we stopped celebrating our independence from an oppressive government.
Nothing to celebrate, except thanking our troops.
i am goimng to my friends house to swin and pop fireworks
happy independence to all
in addition to the usual festivities i will also be turning 30 years old!
Happy Canada Day!
For the last twenty years we have gotten permission from the city to close the street and we have big block party. There a lot of grills on the street side with lots of burgers and hot dogs going. It is a great get together with neighbors and family’s.
As we live just across the street from the high school, which is where the fireworks display is done, we all stroll down to the corner to watch.
After that everyone sets of their fireworks. We are one of the two cities in the county that allow safe and sane fireworks. The police are kept busy running around to try and catch the people with illegal fireworks.As a majority of the people that live here are Mexican and visit their family’s in Mexico there a lot of skyrockets and fire crackers going off. Last year the police started patrolling on bicycles so they are there before the people know it, no squad cars to give them away.
It turns into a pretty long day. I plan on sleeping till around noon or so on Sunday.
Aw yes, Canada Day. Way back when I was young and not wise to the ways of the world we took off on a three week camping vacation. We plotted our trip from California with the map marked with campgrounds that were around a days drive apart. I will tell you by the end of the trip I could get the tent set up in about 37 and a half seconds. We had it planed to spend three days In Yellowstone National Park and two in Glacier National Park.
Then this is where my brilliance took hold. To get away from the 4th of July crowds we would cross into Canada on 1 July.
Our map showed that in Alberta there was a provincial campground not to far from the border. We were shocked to find about a bazillion people there. We did manage to find a nice grassy spot to set up the tent and make camp, I was down to less then a half hour to do it by this time.
The people next to us were a really nice older couple from Scotland. I learned from them what Canada Day was. So much for my great idea.
We did learn that the people in Canada are more friendly them a lot of people in the states.
Well I’m not certainly not celebrating by watching the movie “Independence day”, that’s for sure.
RaulJones, in new jersey a 300k home is cheap :]
I plan on celebrating it by staying here in Crete while going to a wedding.
We moved into a brand new neighborhood in July/August of 1998. Ever since, we celebrate Indepenence Day with an all day and night Block Party. Shut down the streets, get an inflatable (this year – Joust), set up volleyball, open the pools, pull the grills out front, set up tables in the cul-de-sac, and watch fireworks from our backyard.
i dont celebrate independence day, im english
america would be no where if england didnt find it anyway
Watching the fire works
I’m going to my Aunt’s house, to swim, eat, and have lots of fun!!!!!!!
At home, which I love, with my husband, which I LOVE!
excellent and creative ideas
I will celebrate it by wishing that my own country, England, could also gain independence and shake off the shackles of a parasitic Royal Family who, in the supremest of ironies, the Americans appear to worship, despite the fact they represent their former oppressors.
I will go for a few walks in crowded places. I like to be amongst people. I will also do some reading and think about career choices.
I’m gonna enjoy the family and eat all day.
Well this 4th of July I have to work, when I was young I would pop fire works.
I have to work. But my thoughts are with this great country of ours!
best wishes & avery happy independence day to all the americans ,especially to the people of boone, NC.We have beautiful memories of our visit last year.We will always remember their love & hospitality. Love & best wishes for every one at appalachian state university , families that invited us all the residents of boone we came in contact with & students & staff of caldwell early college.
I stay at home with my family. We cook out and shoot fireworks.
Enjoy your day and times with your family and friends. Memories are all I have. My parents are gone and my only sibling lives across the country. I will be spending it alone probably reading and watching my neighbors fireworks displays.
We always go the Lake, cook out and pop fireworks!
I will be with my family, probably watching a movie and eating popcorn at night.
Normally on our wonderful Independence Day, we bake a beautiful cake with a Frosting American flag. We decorate the cake with little candies too, and then we take our time remembering our lost loved ones. Then we go outside and set up our fireworks and have a good time. Happy 4th of July!
I’m going to my friend’s house this year to hang out! It’s going to be so fun!
i don’t celebrate the 4th of july i’m canadian. i celebrate canada day on july 1st
every 4th of july my parents end up fighting one or another so we never end up doing anything….today we were supposed to go to the beach and i got ready only to end up not going because they started fighting…so i still have my bathing suit on but no beach :/…oh well…happy fourth everyone! God bless america
chasing fireworks
Happy 4th to all, I will be going to a friends house for dinner then to where I work at a hotel and watch the fireworks on the waterfront tonight
I was gonna go to a picnic,but now I have to spend it at home sick with a cold
For the fourth i’m water tubing on a lake with friends and then having a camp fire and watching fireworks. And afterward a bunch of us get together for root beer floats. It’s a fun time to spend with friends and family.
i think tht independence day is a sham……lol…..jk….i love independence day! it is wat makes america the best country
ilive on cape cod
i always play with sparklers, and my mom and i are making smores.:-D
We will be having a picnic idea indoors of course. Too hot in Arizona! For Fourth of July picnic ideas see my website
http://www.xomba.com/fourth_july_picnic_ideas
i wont be doing anything. my 4th of july is ruined.
I am celebrating it at home watching fireworks on television and watching the journalist do their jobs on Fox News. I am also online reading about it. I today dedicated myself to understand what it really is about and it is about the men who scaraficed themselves for something far greater then themselves. They sign American’s contract and at that moment the risked their lives for our future.
I am home on my own for the first time ever on the Fourth. My family is up north at our rental cottage, but I had to stay home due to the sudden death of my cat sitter and the recent infestation of raccoons into our house. Not too much fun and I miss the guys, but they’ll be home tomorrow. Sigh…
I don’t really celebrate holidays much anymore. Most of my friends work on any given day of the week/year so I can’t count on them for their availability. My family has grown too much over the years so I only have my mom as my immediate family. Everyone else goes their own way. Since my dad passed away recently I really don’t care about the holidays anyway. It’s just another day to me. I’ll just stay at home and watch the Boston Pops on the telly (with the lights off) and “pretend” I’m watching real fireworks.
It used to be more fun
im sitting on my butt because my family is too lazy and think celebrating fourth of july is stupid so i want to strangle them right now because we all want to go to the movies and they say no so im going to sit on my ass
My flag’s out… Otherwise, no parties, no fireworks show, no parade…. I feel very somber on this 4th, and more in a thankful mood: I have a job, a home, family members with no big issues, no major financial losses, good health… Maybe we’ll have a turkey dinner tonight instead of hotdogs…
I am home, first time ever, sick so missing the 4th, so down about it. I think I am going to check the tv for something to do with the 4th of July. So down and depressed about missing the fireworks.
I’m watching the US Soccer team stomp all over Grenada in the Gold Cup. What better way to celebrate the 4th than watching your favorite national sports team take a huge win? Methinks nothing.
do sparkalers hav a bbq spend time with family and…blah blah blah bye
I went to six flags, and had alot of fun! And then went outside and danced on my roof and watched some fireworks. It was prettty good.
At home watching TV. I’m unimployed not planning to spend any money yet.
Three words
ooohhhh aaahhhhhh boom.
I am Australian married to an American and I live with him in U.S. We are going to pop fireworks, Im cooking kebabs on the barbeque with garlic sauce, his parents are cooking carne asada and eating my left over birthday cake from yesturday. I love 4th of July its just as exciting as new years eve and its one day after my birthday plus its Summer in the U.S right now in Australia it would be a freezing birthday. In australia we have a hot Christmas we cook barbeques on christmas day. so it feels like December for me. Love it!!!
Our neighborhood has a giant block party and we have water balloon fights and games. It’s a lot of fun, and then we have a parade around the block that’s led by a fire truck, and it’s really funny because the little kids adore it. Everyone in my small neighborhood just hangs out and watches the fireworks at another place from our front yard (best view other than right there). We do the same thing every year and it never seems to get old.
Today me and my family had the traditional American Independence Day meal; hot dogs, hamburgers, beans and macaroni and cheese
mmm delicious.
Then we went and shot some fireworks down across the street at a big pond. We didn’t get anything huge. We think, well since everyone else is paying hundreds of dollars for fireworks, we shouldn’t because we can watch theirs for free! We always get sparklers, those little tanks that move and shoot, fountain fireworks, and today we got some black cats. It was a load of fun. Tomorrow we’re going to read the Declaration of Independence. We are trying to keep America in the holiday but my baby brothers fell asleep before we could do it so we’re doing it tomorrow
Happy Independence Day!
Watch my neighbors celebration better then the lousy town puts on. Him and one other guy have to spend between2,500 and 4, 000 every year. they even set them up like burrieed morters so there are noo accidents the stuff is so big i don’t know how they can afford them but they do. Almost all giant mortet type displays.
i went to six flags…the lines were very short
well i Celebrated 4th of july with my friends,I also spent it with my family. i lit sparklers and sat out front of my house because my neighbors had fire workd going off. The bad part about my city fire works is the clouds were down pretty low so all you really saw was the cloud changing colors.The fire works in my subdivsion were AMAZING! 4th of July is one of my favorite holidays. i am just happy i have a home and family thats all i need to be happy!!
whoops i ment the clouds were down to low so all you saw was the clouds changing colors.and my neighbors had fireworks going off.. sorry about the typos!!
When is the time of year most people LEAST want to study history??? The middle of summer! People should be doing fun things like spending time with friends or maybe going on a rafting or kayaking trip. NOT studying American colonial history and sitting around a TV set “airing” historical themed material. Save it for the fall, at least!
Going to the gun range with a bunch of friends to fire our weapons.
Exercising one of our many “rights” we can enjoy because of Independence Day……
Hi Everybody!
Congratulations on your Fourth of July “Independence Day”, but a bit belated since I got to this new blog today on 8th July, thanks to Y!AA and Jade/Cali.
Btw, my favorite day is “Tenth of July” since I would be turning 55 years.
Blessings,
~slsmhu (Hafiz)
Dhaka – Bangladesh