I was looking for a good 4th of July picture to use for this post and found this one from a trip to Party City in 2018. RIP Party City.

I think if you would have asked me at different points in my life what my favorite things about the 4th of July were, you might get very different answers.

The history of the date, for instance, would have ranked high on this list at some points in my life…and now it’s not making the Top 4 cut.

But in thinking about an easy post to write for the holiday today, I thought this might be the way to go.

So, without further ado, here’s where I’m at right now in my life as far as 4 Things I Love About The 4th of July:

Birthdays

July has become an insane birthday month. Of our six nieces and nephews, five birthdays fall in July. One of them smack dab on the 4th. I used to like that the 4th of July meant my birthday was so close. I’ve outgrown that - so many little kids have July birthdays that mine has been squeezed out. (This includes friends who have kids with July birthdays…including one smack dab on the same day as mine.) My nephew likes to joke that the fireworks on the 4th are for him. I don’t disagree - the birthdays are a nice, more specific celebration within the wider nationwide holiday.

Hot Dogs

This could be barbecue in general, but as time has gone on I have eaten fewer hot dogs. It’s just not food that agrees with me at this age, unlike other barbecue food. But on the 4th of July, that all goes out of the window. Even if we’re not barbecuing them (which I don’t think we are today), what’s a 4th of July without a hot dog? (Or more.) I get grossed out watching the Nathan’s hot dog eating contest, but I often think about just how many hot dogs I could eat. I could go all day, I think. (I wouldn’t want the time limit. No race, just a slow, leisurely few hot dogs every half hour to an hour.) This is not something I should ever do. But on the 4th of July, a guy can dream.

Family Time

As the girls get older, they have more plans on the 4th - two of the three are out of the house today doing their own thing. I don’t mind - that’s probably what they should be doing as they get older. But it makes me appreciate the time we spent on the holiday in the past even more. And maybe makes me realize maybe we should host stuff on the 4th of July so the girls are forced to be here with their friends on our turf. Hot dogs for everyone!

Baseball

Memorial Day used to be a great day for baseball. Over the years, though, that has become just another Monday in baseball, and a lot of teams have it off, and there seems to be less and less special scheduling for those of us at home with time to watch games. So I say this carefully, knowing maybe its days are limited - but July 4th is a great day for baseball. Memorial Day still has hockey and basketball happening - the 4th of July is exclusively a baseball day. It starts with an 11:05 game for the Nationals, which takes you right to 1pm, and then there are 4pm games and the regular evening. So that’s what I’ll be doing all day - it’s my own little personal birthday gift, a few days early. As long as the Mets win.