I've grown a bit weary of fireworks. I used to love them, but was at a local fireworks in 2010 when a young man in his 20's was killed helping the crew set off the mortars; he leaned over too far and one hit him in the head as it launched. I haven't been to one since. There's nothing patriotic about any of it anyway; just a big, noisy platitude.I just don't care about them any more.Or Independence Day, for that matter. Sure, I'm glad a group of men got together and declared our independence from England, but if Jefferson, Hamilton, Madison, Paine, both Adams', Bartlett, Franklin and others saw us today, they'd be blown away by our technology, but, I think, ashamed of how ignorant so many of our citizens are; but I digress.And fireworks really frighten the dogs...'nough said.

In our area it's a time to huddle with our dogs who are always traumatized by fireworks...

Love the 4th!

I do. I like history and love this country

We celebrate

I get together with some friends. We have a nice cookout, drink a lot of beer and when it gets dark we light a bunch of fireworks.
Fireworks or not, it's still a good time with my friends.
We live pretty far away from most people, so we aren't scaring any one, or dogs and such.

I get together with my sister to watch fireworks and remember our brother (he always got us together on the 4th). This year I was also invited to a cookout at a friend's house. So, it is just another day, but with more invitations...

I was into it as a kid, because it was fun to blow up shit with M80s and shoot off Roman candles. As an adult, no not really.

I'm in the UK, so no.

It seems a spurious reason to have a national holiday. Celebrating the severing of ties to the British Empire whilst imposing colonialism on a previous culture (Native Americans). Double standards.

I'll go watch fireworks, but I wouldn't say it holds any special significance to me.

What? Did I miss something?

Celebrate losing one of our colonies temporarily? Nope!

For me it was a nice break. I had it as a paid day off and I did work a bit just to be ahead of the game today, but in general I was lazy....

EXCEPT...

I got a new kitten

What does the 4th of July have to do with religion, or having no religion? Why would you even ask such a question? I went and watched (actually video) the fireworks.

It's an ordinary day, because I'm not an American who thinks that the whole world revolves around them.

Its what ever happens that day. I've spent 800 dollars once on food, drinks, and fireworks. It was fun. I watch tv now and be thankful and grateful.

I do not and actually hate this holiday. Friggin rednecks shooting off shit since Saturday including M80's! Makes me jump Every time!

I thought it was funny that the majority of songs they played at our town's fireworks celebration were actually protest songs or critical of the US in some way ("Pink Houses", "Born in the USA" , etc.). I mean, just because it has "America" in the lyrics doesn't make it a patriotic song, you dumb asses. Just shows once more the lack of intellectual awareness amongst the " 'Mur-ika" contingency...

It's nice time to spend time with some family.

I am from a small central Illinois town and remember parades, ice cream socials, street dances and fireworks, and I have always loved it. I read the Declaration of Independence every 4th of July. This year, I feel very sad about what has happened in our country since Trump is president, and destroying everything good about our country. I just stayed home, and my daughter and son in law came for dinner. We didn't talk about it. A very dark time in America.

Another day. A little noisier, but just another day.

I'm puzzled by the fascination people have with fireworks - I see hundreds of people around me dropping a few hundred bucks on these things, just to literally burn it all up in an hour or less. For much less, there's plenty of organized, professionally constructed fireworks displays all around.

Of course, I live just a miles from Disneyland and can see the display from the sidewalk outside my apartment every day of the year.

Just another day. But if I have nothing going on and there’s food, why not? No need to be patriotic/ nationalist to enjoy.

I pray for all those lighting fireworks be immediately rapchurred. And thereby live, like, forever. Doing mostly nothing. I know all who get there, deserve that.

And of course, the planet would be much better with those few hundred millions being gone within seconds.

No, I don’t. There is a thin line between patriotism and jingoism. That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t go to a 4th of July party.