If I’m being honest, I haven’t had a normal 4th of July since I got a dog. I love Damian a lot, and the poor pup could never handle the booming sound of fireworks.
The result is I haven’t gone our for the 4th of July in a while, and I don’t feel like I’m missing out by staying in this year for safety from COVID-19. Sure, I miss spending the holiday at the beach, but I don’t miss how crowded it typically was on this holiday. I love my dog more than I like fighting the crowds at the beach. It’s also more comfortable in my bed or on the couch with my dog.
Safe in the confines of my home, here’s how I’m spending my 4th of July.
Cooking
No holiday is complete without good food. In addition to today being a holiday, today is also an anniversary of my Grandpa’s death. In Vietnamese tradition, we mourn the dead on the anniversary of their death by cooking their favorite foods and reminiscing with each other on the memories that we have. While gathering with the whole family isn’t the safest thing to do, we’re all reminiscing apart. Which should spiritually bring us together, right?
Hamilton on Disney+
I have been waiting for it to come out since they announced that it would. Since the 4th of July is a day of remembering how America came to be, this is a fun way to remember that with the family. Since I saw it over a year ago, I have been in love with the production. So much so that Spotify informed me that the Hamilton soundtrack was my most listened to album of 2019. To say that I’m excited to watch the production again would be an understatement.
Paper Lanterns
As I mentioned before, Damian is absolutely terrified of the large booming sound that comes from exploding fireworks. While I was travelling a few years ago, I found some biodegradable paper lanterns in a store. I bought them, and returned in time to celebrate July 4th with my family that year. It was great having Damian out with us, and letting those paper lanterns go gave me a Tangled vibe. Which is awesome, because it’s one of my favorite movies.
Family and Damian
The nice thing about holidays is that even my parents and I, with our workaholic tendencies, are forced to take a short day off of work, or even a day off if we’re lucky. This allows us to spend some extra time together for the day. Of course, Damian seems to appreciate my company less when I’m actually around.
Reflecting
Alas, when looking at this holiday, there is also a lot of history to look at. And the Black Lives Matter movement is still on the move, and there is still a lot of work to be done. Human value should not be up for debate at this point. I’m also using this time to truly invest in educating myself so that I can make my voice heard this November.
How are you spending this 4th of July? Is there a tradition you’re going to miss, or will you be able to continue to celebrate it? What else is on your mind on this particular holiday?
As always, thank you so much for taking the time to read my blog. If you enjoyed it, feel free to let me know by liking this post and sharing it with your friends. You also have the ability to make my day by subscribing to the blog, which will notify you of when more posts like this one come out.
All my love,
Kristi My
Kristi My Dao 