1. A big reason why I love the holiday so much is because my birthday falls the day after it, on the 5th of July. Now even though I wasn't born on the 4th of July, my mom still calls me her firecracker baby. We have an old picture of my mom on the 4th of July when she was pregnant with me hunched back holding her hands against her hips, and the caption is saying "Get this baby out of here!" Though she wanted me there that day, I took an extra day to arrive.
2. So because my birthday falls the day after the holiday, I usually get to celebrate my birthday on the 4th. My family is off work, and there different events happening around town that we can go to for the 4th, and turn them into my birthday celebration. And sometimes, depending on when my birthday falls, I get to celebrate it on both days, the 4th and the 5th.
3. But my birthday is not the only reason I love the 4th of July. A big reason I love it, is because of the holiday itself. We are celebrating our independence, our freedom, something that is unique to the United States. And it is a simple holiday. There are no gifts or obligations tied to it. It is just a time to come together with your friends and family and enjoy some good food and fun.
4. Another reason I love the 4th of July is the weather. It is so perfect. If you were to ask me what my perfect day looked like, I would say sunny and 80 degrees. I love being out the sun and getting to enjoy nature. And you only get to do it for 6-7 months out of the year (if you live in a place with 4 seasons). And getting to celebrate a holiday while outside makes it even better. You can go to the lake or pool, grill in your backyard, camp outside. It is the only holiday of the year where you can do that.
5. The fireworks. This alone makes it my favorite. The 4th of July is the only time (aside from new years) where colorful missals are launched into the sky, and you get to watch them explode right in front of your eyes. And all for free! You just have to go to a hill nearby, or drive outside the city to see them. It is a work of art, and the sky is the canvas. I always joke that the only birthday present I ask for each year is fireworks. And as long as I get them, I am happy. And trust me, there have been several rain out years, and a fire ban year, in Colorado, but this year looks all good!
6. The food. With every holiday there is food, and with the 4th of July that is BBQ food. I love grilling out, and this holiday gives me an excuse to do so. From ribs, to burgers and fresh vegetables and fruits, the holiday is all about eating freshly cooked food that tastes like summer. You can have ribs in December, but they just don't taste the same as when you grill them out on the 4th of July.
7. All the free stuff! I have already mentioned the firework shows, but besides that, there are a lot of other free things on the 4th of July from parades to fairs and concerts. Most of the other holiday festivities cost, and a lot at that, but with the 4th of July, celebrations are cheap if not free and I love that!
9. Anybody can celebrate! Although I have nothing against religious holiday's, this one, simply isn't one, which means anybody can celebrate! It is a country wide holiday. Anybody who is American will find celebrating this day fun! And unlike Halloween there is no weird dressing up in costumes or other strange traditions linked to it!
10. Everybody gets off work or school. Well, actually not everybody. In fact a lot of people have work including my dad who is a water treatment plant operator and my uncle who is an ER nurse, but majority of people get off work and kids get off school. Which makes it easy and fun to celebrate. Because who remembers having to go to school on Halloween as a kid? Even though you usually had some sort of a party it was just never that much fun to know you were going to school on a holiday. The 4th of July you can be almost guaranteed you will have off!