Has 4th Of July become an underrated holiday now?

[_19disnA]

No. Our family still does all the same things we have always done around July 4, nothing has changed. If the 4th happens to be in the middle of the week, we will get together on a weekend since that works out better for everyone's work schedules.

 

[BrianL]

If anything, they are celebrating MORE around me. You can just hear the low rumble of constant fireworks all through the city - it wasn't like that even just a few years ago. The go on all night, and I really don't like it. Still, it seems like people are really into it for whatever reason.

 

[sk!mom]

As big as Christmas??? Never for me. It was always pool, BBQ, city POPs and fireworks when our kids were growing up. We didn’t participate in recent years, but Those were all available this year. They were cancelled in ‘20 and ‘21.

Once our kids were grown, DH and I are pretty chill. Except for 2020, recent years usually have us gone on vacation. DH has the week of the 4th off so with his summer hours of no Fridays, we can go away for a couple of weeks with him only using 4 vacation days. 2021 had us in Western Michigan on the 4th. We stumbled on a small town parade followed by lively music in a pub. We wanted to avoid large crowds so we didn’t seek out fireworks. Last year, we were in Ireland so the 4th of July was just July 4th. This year, we were at Fenway on the 4th. They celebrated the day. We saw fireworks out the airport windows while waiting for a connection at Chicago Midway.

Is it possible that you, as an adult, are just struggling with being the one who has to MAKE the plans and make it festive?

 

[sam_gordon]

It, like pretty much every holiday, is what you make it. As far as what you see on TV, it depends on what you're watching. There are so many niche channels, the "patriotic" movies will be on those channels that cater to those audiences. Stores will have sales, but will they advertise those sales on television or radio? Maybe. But you need to be watching/listening to catch the ads. If you do a lot of streaming, you will probably miss local ads.

 

[PollyannaMom]

I agree....one display per town is something we can all work around. It's the small groups/individuals with illegal fireworks that have become the issue.

I wish people would just pick one day to do it instead of the 5 to 7 they seem to do now.

Yes. I definitely enjoy a once-a-year, public fireworks display, but I feel so bad for all the scared animals when it's stretched out over several days and right in their neighborhood.

 

[Imzadi]

You had the opposite reaction for Valentine's Day. Maybe it's just your perception of things?

https://www.disboards.com/threads/when-did-valentines-day-start-becoming-big-again.3907357/

 

[sam_gordon]

I wish people would just pick one day to do it instead of the 5 to 7 they seem to do now.

Pretty sure most people ARE picking one day to do it. Multiple people = multiple days. Depending on the needs of the hosts and guests will determine what day they pick to do it.

 

[China Expat]

I would not call it under-rated. It is not an observance of independence in the LA Basin. It is an all out Benghazi week of illegal fireworks, M 80s, and "celebratoy" gunfire. THis nonsense lasts for a week all night long. THen, add in drunk drivers. Fun.Going forward I will not be in LA on the 4th.

 

[TippyThomas]

Pretty sure most people ARE picking one day to do it. Multiple people = multiple days. Depending on the needs of the hosts and guests will determine what day they pick to do it.

I get what you're saying, but the shelter I'm talking about is in a pretty rural setting with very few neighbors. This particular family shot off fireworks for 6 days straight. Other families nearby did them multiple days as well. Maybe they got a heck of a deal on fireworks this year so they went all out. They're certainly allowed to do it, I just wish it didn't scare the animals as much as it does. It's heartbreaking seeing what it does to them night after night.

 

[PolymerSkywalker]

America is becoming a little less patriotic over time. So yes, I believe July 4th is losing some of its popularity from years gone by.

 

[soccerdad72]

But even on TV this July 4th there was little mention of 4th Of July and the only 4th Of July themed programming shown was Macy's Fireworks Spectacular and the annual PBS special A Capitol Fourth and it shocked me because there used to be America themed movies and shows being shown on that day and what it tells me is that 4th Of July will disappear from the calendars and no longer be considered a holiday in the future.

I don't think we even turned on the TV from the 1st through the 4th - because we were spending so much time with family and friends, there was no need.

 

[kymom99]

Judging by the number of people traveling, I’d say no.

 

[LuvOrlando]

No changes anywhere that I noticed, people still had flags and bunting all over the place although in recent years I do notice way more people with flags on their vehicles which wasn't really a thing when I was a kid. Best guess is these outspoken patriots are Veterans who risked their lives for that flag, there are millions of Veterans in the US now. As for the more quiet spots, maybe there are fewer Veterans in some parts of the country than others, I have never lived in a quiet spot and my home is not a quiet spot.

The mush weather did quiet down outdoor activities which ended up inside instead and it probably saved many fingers, I suspect the ERs were way more quiet this year.

 

[jrmasm]

I must live in an alternate universe.

 

[tvguy]

I would say July 4th here is bigger now than I can ever remember in my 66 years. Part of that may be because it was on a Tuesday this year. My community fireworks show was on Saturday. There was another fireworks show put on by a local church on Sunday. The next community over had huge fireworks shows both Monday and Tuesday. And of course on Tuesday was when most folks did their family fireworks. It was chaos here for four straight days. Last night was the first quiet night.
Now, this is my second July 4th of retirement, and my wife and I both worked for 42 years in jobs where July 4th was not a day off, it was a regular business day. My wife worked in a Union shop, and until 10 years ago July 4th wasn't even one of the holidays in the Union Contract.

 

[disneyseniors]

When I was a teenager, I always anticipated the 4th of July with high expectations. We had a big parade, fireworks, and a fun carnival close by. Everyone had sparklers and fireworks at home and set them off in celebration. Flags were flown everywhere. Now that I am older, we don't participate as much anymore, but still celebrate it with flags and decorations and family get togethers.

 

[Lumpy1106]

In So Cal, the illegal fireworks started in earnest about 2 hours before sunset and lasted until around 2a. That's a constant roar of explosions, not the occasional "pop". The news the next morning, a 6 year-old was shot, a guy blew his hand off, homes and cars were accidentally set on fire - the usual. What's worse is this year was a MASSIVE improvement over previous years where the noise started before Memorial Day and lasted through July. What are we celebrating again?

You don't see people bringing their own illegal fireworks to the TTC - everyone just watches the Disney fireworks. It goes off without a hitch and everyone goes home unscathed - fun is had by all. Why is this such a difficult concept?

 

[GAN]

Interesting. Like with someone dressed up as Columbus with ships or something? It's hard for me to even imagine how Columbus Day would be "celebrated"-- activities, decorations, etc. Back when I was a kid (80s), we had a lesson in elementary school ("in fourteen hundred ninety-two Columbus sailed the ocean blue") and we had the day off, but I have never seen any place that had actual celebrations or parades. It was more of just an "in name only" day that people had off work/school, but not considered an actual holiday.

Columbus Day has been contentious for quite some time and many states have done away with it entirely.

Clearly -we struggle to get away from contentious holidays here....

 

[GAN]

You had the opposite reaction for Valentine's Day. Maybe it's just your perception of things?

https://www.disboards.com/threads/when-did-valentines-day-start-becoming-big-again.3907357/

In both cases I feel like she's right. Valentine's does seem like a much bigger "hallmark" holiday than say 25-years ago. And just the opposite for the 4th ...there may be an increase in celebrations on Independence Day, but I question whether it's sincere or just an excuse to drink and play with explosives

 

[tzolkin]

Clearly -we struggle to get away from contentious holidays here....

I was not trying to be insulting. I genuinely do find it interesting to see on the Disboards how different people's experiences are from one state/region to another. I had absolutely no idea that there were places in the US that have Columbus Day parades and celebrations.