I am missing going to fireworks displays right now while the kids are little.  2 1/2 yo dd and 6 wk old ds are too jittery about loud noises for it to be enjoyable for them. 

We never do home fireworks; my dad is an ophthalmologist and *hates* the 4th of July like all er docs and eye surgeons do.  He’s already had a couple kids this year, both of whom burned their eyes with punks.  So we just go to some of the big displays the city has and leave it at that.

We broke out the sparklers and little pop crackers tonight. I may be an expat, but I can still celebrate Canada Day! Liam wasn’t home though so we’ll leave the actual firecrackers and small fireworks for Saturday. People set them off - in various sizes - all over the city here in New Orleans, so you can get quite a show just sitting on your porch.

I’m the daughter of a fireman, so we hide on July 4th!  Additionally, I live in a part of the world that goes absolutely anarchic on Independence Day.  I wish I could send you all a little “sound link” so that you can experience it.  Transplant residents (like my dh) are always horrified by the effect of virtually no community displays, but many, many individual, Lite beer-induced displays.  Let’s just say, all the neighborhood dogs are very unhappy on Independence Day around here!  Hark, as I write this, some comedian had decided to do a test run!

I’m Canadian, and I live in Québec, so we get two set of fireworks, exactly one week apart, the first for the feastday of St John the Baptist (patron saint of Québec) also known more secularly as “la fête nationale”, and the second for Canada Day.  Not every town in Canada does Canada day, but ours also happens to be a military town, so we get both.  We go to both.

It’s own of my fave holidays of the year the July long weekend. Like you said SUMMER, but also a reminder for me of how lucky I lucky I am to live where I do - obvs that applies to many countries of course, but lucky nonetheless.

I LOVE watching fireworks displays.  I really do prefer the big public displays, though; my family would sometimes set off our own fireworks when I was a kid, and it always scared me.  We’ll be watching the fireworks over the national Mall from a friend’s balcony, as has become our tradition of late.  She has a great view, and we’re away from the insane crowds that descend on D.C. for the Fourth.  Not sure you could pay me enough to actually hang out with the masses on the Mall all day just to be closer to the show, but I adore watching from just across the river!

I don’t mind watching a community show, but I really don’t like to hear the pop-pop-pop-pop BOOM BOOM BOOM that goes on for a week before and a week after, usually when the little one and/or ME are trying to sleep.

I love fireworks too.  When I see them go off, I always get just as excited as I was when I was a kid.  If you don’t mind me asking, where did you grow up, Arwen?  I’m a Michigander myself.