My Favorite Holiday!

The 4th of July is my favorite holiday.

It has been since I was a kid. There is something about a good barbecue, parades, sparklers, hearing John Philip Sousa marches, and fireworks that I really enjoy. It is nostalgic, patriotic, and all-American. It is one of the holidays that all American's can celebrate together. Everyone can enjoy and appreciate this day because it isn't directly associated with a religious day, someone's birthday, or a made up day with Hallmark's support. It is something only celebrated by Americans for America.

New Year's Eve is also a holiday that everyone can celebrate but it really isn't as exciting in my opinion. We are acknowledging another year, getting older, and remembering that we are not achieving things in life that we wanted to achieve. No wonder everyone drinks too much! Plus it is always too cold to really have a good time. Even Labor Day is to celebrate the working man. We are all grateful to be able to make a living but celebrating working with a day off seems odd to me.

The 4th of July is the best holiday. One thing that strikes me is that we commonly call it the 4th of July. It makes it sound like we just picked a date in July to throw an annual summer party. It is Independence Day. For those who need a little history lesson... it is a celebration to acknowledge the day that our country proclaimed its independence from Great Britain, July 4, 1776. This year we are celebrating our 232 year of independence.

We have all heard the first part of the declaration, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." Who doesn't love that part? It sounds so good and makes you feel strong and proud to be an American.

But if you keep reading the document it gives a detailed list of why we are proclaiming our independence. It explains all the things that the King was doing to the people in the colonies and to the government that had been established. I think we all remember the Tea Party protest about taxes and the original desire to have freedom of religion. But when I was reading this list of reasons there was one that stood out to me, "He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people." It is hard to imagine this happening on our soil by another country. People's lives being ruined by another country is difficult to even grasp. We have had it good for a long time.

When the 9-11 attacks happened it sure was a wake-up call on how different our world is from other countries without freedom. Not all American's get along, believe in the same things, or have the same values, but we make it work somehow. We exist in the same places, go to work or school everyday, and for the most part function peacefully as individuals despite our differences.

Independence Day is something that all Americans can celebrate together-that in itself, is worth celebrating! It is a time for all of us to appreciate what we have, what it took to get it, and what it takes to maintain it.

Happy Independence Day!