A Fireworks Failing

One of my favorite parts of any major holiday is the fireworks show. It doesn't matter to me if it's New Years Eve, Canada Day, or any other day deemed important enough to warrant aerial explosions, I love watching the show. I have this great vision of lying back on a hillside watching the fireworks rocket into the air, the only sounds being the distant booms of the fireworks and the "Oohs!" and "Aahs!" of the crowd.

I wonder what that's like?

Truth is, firework shows are usually crowded masses of people. You have to get there hours early to get even a remotely decent viewing spot and then hope that nothing more than a light breeze wanders into the area and cancels the entire show. The good news is that if the show actually happens, you'll probably hear a good deal of those longed for "oohs and aahs". 

Unless of course you're sitting near our family. It seems that over the years my children have become a little jaded towards fireworks shows. What used to leave them awestruck when they were little, now barely constitutes a reason to look up form their cell phones. As for the gasps of excitement...well if you find yourself in our vicinity you're more likely to hear comments like these, taken from our Canada Day firework experience in Victoria:

"You know how they should start every fireworks show? They should have a guy dressed like Wile E. Coyote chase a guy dressed like the roadrunner onto the barge that they shoot the fireworks from. That would be awesome!"

"Gee Dad, you look much younger in the flickering firework light."

"These larger fireworks are really interfering with my 4G reception!"

"Do you think they're shooting the fireworks at that boat over there? That would be so cool, kind of like a real life game of Battleship!" (Followed by a couple minutes of "B4....Miss!" every time a firework went up.)

"They're playing O Canada so this must be the last song right? I kind of wish our national anthem was shorter."

Written by Steve Pratt