My Favorite Holiday

Holidays are special. For most kids, three holidays stand out. Halloween stands out because of the costumes and the night-time candy adventure. Presents make Christmas (or one of its December alternatives) stand out. And finally Independence Day stands out thanks to the fireworks. Of these, my favorite holiday as a child was Independence Day, and it has remained my favorite holiday into adulthood.

Perhaps the appeal of Independence Day festivities played a part in our choice of residence so close to the largest park in Hermes. During the autumn months we wake up every weekend morning to the sound of kids soccer games. We also hear the various festivals at the park throughout the year. But the biggest festival of all at the park is the one held on Independence Day. Our town considers it a source of pride to put on the best fireworks display in the County.

Living in our neighborhood has huge advantages on Independence Day. With most homes having three or four bedrooms, our neighborhood probably enjoys the highest number of children per capita in town. A family living in the center of the neighborhood sponsors an annual neighborhood parade that enjoys the support of the town’s police and fire departments each of whom breaks out their vintage 1940s vehicles for such special occasions. Kids follow the icons of civil defense on bicycles, tricycles, scooters and electric rovers—all made up with red, white and blue ribbons and American flags.

Additionally, our neighborhood has some open green space outside the confines of the town park that is a great viewing place for the fireworks display. Early in the morning, we plant picnic blankets on the open space to claim our spot for fireworks viewing before settling on our porch to watch the children’s parade go past.

What is probably most special about Independence Day is what takes place between the parade and the fireworks. We invite scores of friends (including people who on any other day would be too far out on the periphery of our social circle) to visit our home for the day, a quick visit or anything in between. We fire up the grill and the food includes the basics we supply like hamburgers and hotdogs, combined with the special treats others bring potluck style to add to everyone’s experience.

This year our home and back yard were quite full. Joshua, Debbie, Abby and their parents joined us for the entire afternoon and evening. Carson, Eric and their parents also joined us from beginning to end. Katherine and her father joined too, but Katherine’s father only stayed for lunch before he went home. Katherine ended up sleeping over that night. Two more families with their kids—which included one family we hadn’t seen in at least two years—joined us. And the father of one of Philip’s lacrosse teammates made a brief appearance.

Something about Independence Day brings friends and neighbors together like nothing else. We never ran out of things to talk about or food to eat. The adults enjoyed wine, beer and Amelia’s sangria punch in moderation. The kids drank soda, munched on chips and burned it off jumping on our trampoline while a pop music CD Chloe created played in the background. The day hit its peak just before 9:00pm when we headed over to the neighborhood’s open space for the fireworks display.

After the fireworks, what remained of the day’s festivities continued back at our home. Traffic was at a stand-still for at least an hour so nobody was in a rush to leave. We and nearly all our non-neighborhood guests returned to our house for hot cocoa. Debbie and Abby decided to go home with other friends. Chloe and Katherine got into pajamas and made one last visit to the trampoline with the other remaining girl. Philip and the rest of the boys put on a vintage anime film in the family room while the adults relaxed in the living room. And that is how my favorite holiday has played out this year as it has for many years past. I expect it will play out in a similar manner for years to come.