When given the chance, my family rarely passes up on the opportunity to go all-out on any occasion. Our famous 4th of July week has become renowned by our friends and family. Wonderings of how 16 people can fit in one house for a whole week always arise when beginning to describe what occurs every year during this week. It's hard to decide where to begin. But over the years, we have created so many memories, and so many traditions, that will be passed down to generations to come. The best is that no matter how old we are, we will always gather to celebrate this holiday together.
The "4th of July Week"
Just one day was not good enough for this family. Instead, we invented an entire week in which the whole fam - including cousins, aunts, uncles, and dogs - comes together to live in one house for 10 days. Over the years, this tradition has become one of the family's favorites, and has been named "The 4th of July Week". It is this one week that takes all year to plan. We take off from work, prep materials, and book flights to make sure we're in Long Island by Friday night. This is the most looked forward to above all traditions. This week ensures that we don't have to cram all our fun into just 24 hours. It is one week straight of crazy, exciting, chaos that we affectionately refer to as 'Camp Run-A-Muck.'
The Menu
As an Italian family, one thing we take very seriously is our food. While most families have three meals, we have introduced a day-by-day menu that includes 4 square meals. A carefully planned breakfast, lunch, dinner, happy hour, and dessert menu remains printed and hung on the fridge for the whole week. As the days go by, each meal completed is checked off. But this is no ordinary menu. Every favorite recipe passed down throughout the family is included on this menu, carefully plotted on a specific day for a specific meal, as not to miss out on anything. Needless to say, by the end of the week, we don't remember what it feels like to not be full.
The Parade
Each year on the 4th of July, the town of Southold holds a parade that runs all the way down the main road. It is here that the county comes together to line the street with waving flags and balloons, sporting the most patriotic hats and articles of clothing owned. Of course, being as big a family as we are, we tend to create somewhat of a scene, and usually end up in the local paper. But what can we say? We like to go all-out! The Southold parade is one of our oldest family traditions, and we make sure that we live up to just how memorable its name is.
Volleyball
We have always loved a nice, friendly game of family volleyball. But over the years, as the cousins have grown, the games have become more intensely competitive. Once the whole family assigns teams and we get a game of 6 v. 6 started, there's no stopping until one team is declared a winner, best out of 3. We have braved cuts, bruises, falls, and even concussions during these games over the years, but I wouldn't change one bit of it all. Each year we add an upgrade to our court, improving our net, lines, and ball, and I don't think we'll stop until our court holds water to an Olympic setup -- and we play as well as Olympians.
Girl's Day
One of the best days of the 4th of July week is our girls days. Each year, all the boys in the family rent out the same boat and go on a long fishing excursion for the day in order to catch some delicious fish for dinner. The girls, however, pack their things and head for the Tanger Outlets, an outdoor shopping outlet mall with some of the best deals I've ever seen. We wake up early, drive out there, park the car, and all go our separate ways to shop until we quite literally are ready to drop. Once the family meets back at the house in the afternoon, I'd be lying if I said we didn't all take a nap by the pool before preparing dinner.
Happy Hour
Daniella LaPorta
The day would not be the same without a 5 o'clock happy hour -- not that we are ever really hungry in between lunch and dinner. Nevertheless, an assortment of cheese, crackers, veggies, chips, and drinks are always prepared, accompanied by country music in the background. We move out onto the deck and enjoy our favorite meal of the day.
Beach Days
Daniella LaPorta
On our sunniest and hottest days of the week, we can't help but leave our pool behind and take a walk to the beach. It's a good thing that the little beach by our house is hidden from the public, because there's no more room by the water once our whole family sets up camp there. We spend the day together reading, tanning, paddle boarding, going for walks, and jumping in the refreshing Long Island Sound. At the end of the day, no matter what we're doing and where we are, we stop everything and run back to our favorite spot to watch the sunset right over the water, no two sunsets ever the same.
Mini Golf
Some nights during the week, just the cousins will escape over to our favorite mini golf spot for a quick game and some ice cream. We've been there so many times over the years that we know the course like the back of our hands. We know which wall to bounce the ball off of, which path to aim for under the windmill, and how to aim for the clowns nose to get a free ticket. After the game, we file over to the ice cream window to order our favorite brown bonnet ice cream cones and try and eat it before it melts.
The Carnival
Each year, a few days before the 4th of July, the town carnival opens. Just driving by the bright and colorful lights acts as a reminder of all the years we've waited in long lines for rides. As the cousins have grown older, our eagerness to go on rides has lessened, but our memories have stayed the same. We still walk by the game and snack booths before crossing the street to watch the fireworks.
The Fireworks
The most perfect way to end the week is always on July 4th at 10:00 on the dot. After covering ourselves in our comfiest sweatshirts and sweatpants, and spraying each other down with bug spray, we grab our blankets and drive to the park. It is there, right behind the 4th of July carnival, that we lie down on the grass and watch the firework show. Perhaps our most time-honored tradition, watching the fireworks go off as a family helps us reflect on all the fun we've had, and remember just how meaningful the week truly is.
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