How Did You Celebrate Fourth of July Years Ago?

Fourth of July of Yesteryear

It's a holiday weekend. Whether you call it the Fourth of July or Independence Day, we are celebrating the time when the colonists declared their independence from Great Britain. It wasn't a mere matter of writing the Declaration of Independence in 1776 and having significant men of the day sign it. That was only the beginning of the Revolutionary War. Despite losses and heartache of many kinds, America became its own country. Something we celebrate to this very day.

Yesterday's post addressed family stories. The photo for today shows what the Fourth of July might have looked like many years ago. Someone who knows old cars better than I might be able to pinpoint the year. 

We celebrate with parades, ceremonies, fireworks, picnics, and barbecues with family and friends. This year, many of the usual festivities have been canceled due to the pandemic we are living through right now. There will still be some small family gatherings with precautions taken, I hope. We plan to watch A Capitol Fourth on tv on Saturday evening.

For a weekend writing exercise, write about how your family celebrated. What were the things that they always did? Was there one special year when something really great happened? Was there a year when some family members were not there? Maybe overseas fighting, or away on a job, or had just moved to a distant place? Did your family talk about the reason for the celebration?

What were the special foods your family had on the Fourth of July? What did kids do that was special? Decorate their bikes? Have a pet parade? 

My brothers and I wove red, white, and blue crepe paper between the spokes of our bikes. Then we rode around the neighborhood with all the other kids who had also decorated bikes. I remember the day feeling mighty long as we waited for darkness to fall over our large apartment building. Then, many families met out in the alley to set off fireworks. My dad did ours. He never let us light any of them as he feared we'd get hurt. Bugged my brothers more than me. Sparklers were the last thing we did, and how I loved them. As soon as one burned out, we grabbed another or two. I also remember my brothers making lots of noise with a roll of caps that would normally be used in their cap pistols. On this holiday, they squatted on the concrete area in the back of our apartment building and set off the little powdered dots of the rolls of caps. They didn't make all that much noise, but the boys had fun. 

Once you've written about what happened and how you felt on the Fourth of July, add it to your Family Stories Book.