Growing up, the Fourth of July was always my favorite holiday. Every year, my dad’s side of the family threw a huge family BBQ, and a ton of my cousins, aunts, and uncles came into town to celebrate by watching the fireworks together.
To this day, I absolutely love the Fourth of July and cherish this holiday just the same as when I was a kid. What do I love so much about it? Let’s find out…
10 Little Things I Love About the Fourth of July
- Getting Festive – Who else here had matching Old Navy Fourth of July t-shirts for every member of their family year after year after year? Yasssss. I can easily attribute the start of my love of being festive to this specific family tradition.
- BBQing – My mouth just started watering as I typed that out. The Fourth of July is the perfect time to have a BBQ! I absolutely love eating ribs, beer can chicken, and roasted corn on the cob fresh off the grill. I’m also a huge fan of grilled peaches with a dollop of vanilla ice cream. Yummm.
- Seeing Loved Ones – No matter how hectic our lives are, it’s always so refreshing to see family and friends on the Fourth of July. Growing up, some of my family I would only see for this holiday, and I always looked forward to catching up on life with everyone.
- Competing for Fame ‘n Glory – Horseshoes, water balloon fights, frisbee, swimming – there’s so many fun ways to enjoy the Fourth (we can make anything competitive around here!).
- Indulging in Family Desserts – Where I’m from, everyone always brings a dish to a BBQ. Whether it’s homemade banana cream pie, the perfect batch of chocolate chip cookies, or the most delicious no-bake chocolate eclair cake in the game, I always love indulging in all the desserts on this day (I’m a hardcore sweet tooth!).
- Reminiscing – I love a nice trip down memory lane, it almost always involves so many laughs that turn into cheerful tears.
- Jammin’ Out – Being from a small town in Illinois, I grew up listening to country music. Nowadays, I don’t listen to country too much (it’s not played a lot in NYC, imagine that?!), but on the Fourth of July, I always love hearing it blast throughout the yard. It mentally takes me back home every. single. time.
- Enjoying Summer Cocktails – Mint mojitos. Mint mojitos with chunks of watermelon – you’re welcome (see my skinny recipe for them here).
- Traditions – I’m a sucker for traditions. For example, taking a family photo every year with my family of 30+ people for twenty years straight is something that some might cringe at the thought of, but I always looked forward to it. Looking back, it’s like a little flip book that you could look at year-to-year and see how my family was growing and changing.
- Watching the Firework Show – I remember when I was little, I thought fireworks were magic. I mean, come on, they WERE magical! Even now, when I know that it’s just a chemical reaction happening, I still feel that same mesmerizing feeling when watching a beautiful light show.
That’s my little spiel on my love for the Fourth of July! What is your favorite part about this holiday – do you have similar experiences? Share with us in the comments below!
