Twentysomethings love holidays. Not only do we get a day off of work without having to worry about using up vacation days, but we also get to celebrate something – whether we care about said something or not.
Christmas is probably the most anticipated holiday of all time. Even for Jews AKA me. No I don’t care about what the day actually means to people who celebrate it. But instead I care about my day off from work, the happiness everyone is weirdly feeling despite the cold weather, and the decor through stores, malls, and offices all over. Thanksgiving is another one. A bunch of pilgrims came to America. I mean that’s cool, but is there a reason I have to gain 10 pounds in one sitting because of it? Probably not. However, getting together with fam, great food (even if it does mean weight gain), and of course Thanksgiving Eve is something I look forward to for months.
Of course there are other holidays than these two ‘major’ ones… and not all fall under the worst season ever (Winter)… and not all are religious. One of these holidays is Independence Day. Except no one calls it ‘Independence Day’ anymore because we are obnoxious, arrogant Americans who take our freedom for granted. We don’t care that the country used to NOT be free. All that matters now is that it is. Therefore, we celebrate the ‘4th of July.’ Yes, the pure fact that we are 4 days into July. Not the fact that our country is independent… But that’s not the only reason we love this holiday.
Here are 10 reasons we love the 4th of July.
1. It’s during Summer. Well, duh. That’s basically why we love the 4th in a nutshell. A day to bask in the sun. A day to BBQ. A day to (day) drink. And you can do it all outside while tanning because, well, it’s Summer. And if the weather decides to take a turn for the worst, just ignore it. That’s what I’m doing. Thunderstorms? Rain? Noooooo. That’s not actually happening. Where’s my burger?
2. You get a day off to celebrate YOUR freedom. Most people get July 4th off because, well, it’s effing July 4th. And although we don’t care that our country’s free… at least we are… for the day.
3. You can extend your day of freedom into a vacation of freedom. If your boss allows, perhaps take off some days around the 4th. And if he/she says no, tell your boss that this is a free country (hence the upcoming holiday) and you can do what you want. Actually don’t do that. You will prob get fired. So maybe this isn’t a free country after all…
4. July 3rd. Sure the 3rd of July has no actual meaning… but to is it is almost the equivalent of Thanksgiving Eve (okay not really, but it’s maybe a close second). We don’t have to work the next day, so we can rage. We can drink outside. We can dance. We can do all that and more. This day is especially cool when the 3rd falls on a weekday. Haha, you want me to go out during the week? My college days are over. I can’t drink on a weekday anymore. But not today my friend. It’s July 3rd. Let’s party!
5. Fireworks. Every 4th, people go crazy over fireworks. They go to extremes of setting them off in their backyards (or back decks of apartments… thanks for almost ending my life apt across the street). And if they’re illegal, people will drive far distances to the nearest store that sells fireworks. As for fireworks set off by professions, they usually take place in every town, every city, and even from a hick’s background (because hicks are obv professionals). Towns have fireworks every day leading up to the 4th and many days thereafter. It’s like this huge spectacle that people go nuts over. Why? I have no idea. But they might as well rename the 4th ‘Firework Day’ because no one really cares about anything else.
6. BBQs. Food is obv one our top priorities on the 4th. And we don’t just want some greek yogurt or a frozen meal… We want burgers and hot dogs. In our mouths. Now. But really.
7. Day drinking. Any day that gives us an excuse to day drink is a day worth loving. The 4th is a perf example. Even if you have to go into work the next day (sigh).
8. Themed outfits. Okay, I guess I wouldn’t go as far as calling the 4th one big, giant theme party… but it basically is. People go crazy over awk looking items with flags on them (jackets, shorts, shirts, bikinis, earings, etc). And others raid closets putting together every red white and blue item they own to make one patriotic outfit. Some even go hcore shopping for days trying to find an outfit like they’re in high school again looking for a prom dress. It’s pathetic… But fine. I mean, who doesn’t love a good American-pride-filled outfit?
9. Everyone is in a semi-good mood. People aren’t as happy as they are during Christmas, but they are pretty damn happy on the 4th – which then puts you in a good mood too. I don’t understand why people are not happier on the 4th than on Christmas though. I mean, there’s no snow. It’s hot out. The suns prob out. Get your smiles on everyone.
10. Friends. Seeing friends is a rare occasion after you graduate college. But on the 4th, instead of watching Titanic on ABC Family by yourself, you can hang out with real, live people. Everyone is usually always busy, but on the 4th people want to hang out in large groups at a pool or beach eating food, loving life. They plan ahead making sure everyone is actually around and willing to venture out of their houses. So on the 4th, you have friends again. Yay!
Basically, we love the 4th for selfish reasons. I mean who doesn’t love a holiday that everyone can celebrate during Summer? But we, as twentysomethings, still know it’s really independence day. As for kids, they probably don’t. They are so busy texting each other during class that they probably missed the lesson on our country’s independence. And just like we have to explain what VCRs and The Spice Girls were, we will prob one day have to explain what July 4th really is. That being a day of tanning, drinking, eating, fireworks, and fun outfits.
BTW, we really do love you America. Happy bday raging!
