Happy 4th of July! It’s a great day for a holiday, and the 4th of July is one of my favorite holidays to celebrate.
Once in a while, I get to do something fun and unique (for me) to celebrate Independence Day. Back in 2015, I got to spend the day at Disneyland. Now, the fact that I was at Disneyland was both memorable and not. It was during one of my Disney College Programs, so I had more access to the parks than usual (that is hardly any). But specifically, that day from that year was special because it perfectly aligned with the lyrics to the song “Saturday in the Park” by Chicago: Saturday, in the park, I think it was the fourth of July. My life was complete at that moment.
In 2020, I was in the middle of my Presidential Biography Challenge, so that did help me feel more patriotic. I think I was reading about Woodrow Wilson at the time (the 28th US President), though I can’t say that he, in particular, made me feel more patriotic. Nothing against him, kind of, but that also happened to be around the time when his name was removed from Princeton’s School of Public and International Affairs. Talk about past and present colliding.
Okay, but what do I do to celebrate?
It’s actually quite simple. Other than spending time with family, I watch two movies:
Independence Day.
While the title could be seen as a cop-out for my choosing this, it’s not just the title. I freakin’ love this movie, and Bill Pullman’s speech is pretty incredible. He’s one of my top favorite fictional presidents. The film itself, the casting, the plot, it’s all perfection. It’s one of the reasons that the holiday stays fun for me, and it makes for a great contrast with the other main movie I watch.
A More Perfect Union: America Becomes a Nation
Released in the 1980s, it was produced by BYU (so small plug for my university) in honor of the Bicentennial anniversary of the Constitution and was even recognized by the Commission on the Bicentennial of the United States Constitution as being “of exceptional merit,” which I think is incredible.
It focuses on the continental congress and the creation of the Constitution, primarily from the viewpoint of James Madison, who had taken meticulous notes during the proceedings and whose journals were used during production. I watch it every year and have done so since I first watched it during my freshman year of college. You can stream it here.
That’s about it. That’s all I do. As long as I watch these two movies on or around the 4th of July (because not every year is perfect), anything else I do on the 4th of July is icing on the cake.
I used to be more interested in watching fireworks.
And no, it wasn’t because of Disney, though they have some pretty spectacular fireworks shows. But it still wasn’t the reason why. Maybe it’s my age, though I doubt that. I still like fireworks but don’t care to go out of my way to see them. If my family gets fireworks to set off in front of the house, I’ll watch for a bit (I don’t always stay the whole time), especially since our neighbors often join in with their own stash of fireworks. But I don’t try to go someplace to watch them. I’d rather stay home, watch my movies, read, and relax. Usually, there’s good food during the day, so after I’ve had my fill of food, it’s on to the movies.
I look forward to celebrating the holiday by watching the movies and reading President Biden’s biography later this year. I haven’t done so yet, and after the effort I made to get caught up on presidential biographies, I don’t want to let more presidents pass by without continuing.
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