The 4th of July looks different for everyone, whether that be going to the lake, to a BBQ, friend's house, or just chilling at home. While we celebrate Independence Day, I have not gained my independence from the traditions we set up around this holiday, and that's how I like it. This happens to be my favorite holiday just because of the traditions established over the years (and maybe a little bit because the holiday after that is my birthday). The things that I do every year are pretty cliche with the whole "proud to be an American" idea. It's the cookie cutter traditions and complete normalcy and simplicity that make me like the 4th so much. I am pretty sure some of these traditions are shared with all of you in some way shape or form. That being said, here are my 4th of July traditions!
1. The parade bag
This tradition has died off as I have grown older, but it was one that I was dedicated to for many years. My brother and I would wake up that morning and immediately get to work on decorating our brown paper bags to put our candy in. This was the only time of the year that I only restricted myself to color with two colors: red and blue. If any other colors made it onto the bag, it wasn't suited for the 4th parade. It didn't matter that I spent hours of effort decorating the whole bag with exploding dots (those take a REALLY long time) only to have the bag ripped, soggy, and in the trash can at the end. My bag was also covered in campaign stickers because as much as I loved wearing stickers, I only liked to wear the ones I got at the dentist. The sticker with "John Smith" on it was not at my level of style. My competitive nature also put a "candy meter" on my bag to measure how much candy I had compared to everyone else, yet I only filled the whole bag one time in my years of parade-going. I remember my favorite pieces to get were the teal blue vanilla Tootsie Rolls, yet those were few and far between. On the other hand, I always got way too much gum!
2. The parade
When I think of the 4th of July, the Apple Valley Parade is the first thing that comes to mind. I was excited to make my parade bag, but even more excited at the fact that I got to use it at one of my favorite events of the year. I always loved watching the members of the marching band and cheerleading team at my future high school, Eastview, and I remember thinking how crazy it was that I would be that age someday. Another reason I love the parade so much is because my family watches it with my best friend's family in the same spot every year. Anna and I would wear matching 4th of July outfits as we sat on the curb of the street yelling at the Culver's float drifting by to throw us a free custard token, and running after the candy sprawled all over the street. While Anna and I no longer wear matching outfits or run after the candy because we are simply too lazy to get up out of our chairs, you better believe that we still yell at the Culver's and meat stick float. Some other parts of the parade that I loved (and still do love) to watch were the Klondike Kates, giant Cub Foods cart, little go-karts that drive like my mom does during road rage, steel drummers, the bagpipe guys (simply because I thought it was funny they were wearing skirts), the Apple Valley royalty as I believed they were real princesses, and the pooper scooper golf cart because everyone clapped after they cleaned up a big horse pie. Lastly, I kid you not, I once wanted the Oscar Meyer Weiner mobile as my dream car.
3. Anna's House
After the parade, it was routine to go to Anna's house to spend the afternoon together. She used to have an above ground pool that we could spend hours in despite the fact that it was the size of Clifford the Big Red Dog's water bowl. It took a lot of effort to pry us out of the pool for the BBQ, but on the other hand, nothing made us run out of the pool screaming faster than finding a giant bug in the water. We liked to fill up water balloons and see how many times we could throw it back and forth before one of us had horrible aim or a lack of eye hand coordination. As we have gotten older, the pool is gone, and we would rather stay dry than run around in the back yard in our swimsuits. We have transitioned to being those people that go to parties and "mingle," but we still have as much fun as we did when we were little, mostly because we choose to mingle around the snack table.
4. The BBQ
It can't get any more American than this. Grilling burgers, hot dogs, brats, and eating a bunch of American-ish side dishes such as potato salad, cole slaw, cheesy potatoes, and JELL-O! The Jell-O is the most crucial part of the BBQ. Growing up, I never ate Jell-O any other time of the year except the 4th because that's only when it tasted the best. Something about it being cut into little stars made it taste 100 times better than usual. Of course we also have to eat our meal on the red white and blue plates with a giant cup of lemonade to accompany it. Anna's dad is the famous grill master with his famous line "do you want cheese on that?" The same group of people come to the BBQ every year, and each person makes the same dish pretty much every year. Us Casey's (aka my mom) is known for her cheesy party potatoes, so an unwritten rule has been established that her potato services are put to use every year. Going into this year, I realize that this part of the tradition will be a bit broken as my gluten, dairy, soy, egg free allergies (explained in my last post) will be prohibiting me from fully stuffing my face.
5. Fireworks
This one is a given, but our family even had a tradition set up for watching fireworks. After spending the afternoon at Anna's house, our families would then mosey over to "Bob and Vic's house." For those who read the tribute to my brother, Vic was Christopher's pre school teacher that we became family friends with just because of him. Their house is a prime spot for watching the city fireworks, and while we would be setting off our own boxed fireworks and flinging around sparklers way too close to each other, all our parents would chat like adults do. Between the anti-climactic boxed fireworks, writing our names with sparklers, and burning holes in our clothes with Pop-Its, this would keep us entertained until the real fireworks. When these started, Anna and I would lie on a giant blanket in the yard and search for all the pink fireworks because we both loved pink way too much. This really was the only time that we sat completely still all day.
The 4th has definitely showed me how much I have changed over the years, but change can still happen within tradition. It is funny to see how the candy-loving, water balloon- throwing, fire-flinging kids we once were, are now like our parents sitting and chatting which we used to think was so boring. No matter how much I have changed, and have started my adulting stage of life, the 4th will always remind me of some of the best childhood memories that I have ever had. I think that is why traditions can withstand so much change, because of the positive and rewarding memories that are tied to them. In the past, my family has missed a couple of 4th of Julys like this because we were in Kentucky, Vic and Bob were out of town, or going to the cabin instead. Those times have shown just how much the routine I have explained above has become associated with the 4th, because those times didn't feel like the 4th at all. This year, I am so happy that Anna is coming home from her adulting life in SD so we can spend another 4th of July together like the good old days. I know most of you can't relate to my festivities to a T, but seriously, if your 4th of July doesn't include Jell-O or some good food, are you really American?
Happy Independence Day, everyone! I hope you all learned what Independence Day actually meant a long time ago instead of a couple years ago like me :)
~Lauren