Certain rhythms of life get taken for granted when I think of holidays. In the fall the rain brings out the smell of leaves dying which signals a craving for apples, cider and pumpkin (muffins, bread, seeds and pie). It will be cold and hopefully snowy at Christmas so I crave warm drinks and rich foods and even though I don't eat turkey, gravy and stuffing, I want to smell it cooking. New Years is always depressingly cold and bleak. This kicks in a daily need for chocolate (and cheese) that lasts past (far past) Valentines Day. By Easter the earth is warming up enough that there are new smells in the air and nothing sounds better to eat than strawberries and asparagus (and still chocolate). Summer brings hot sticky weather for the Fourth. Sweet corn, watermelon, hot dogs cooked over charcoal all sound good, even better if eaten outdoors. Living in a new country has taught us just how regional and specific our tastes are, and how tied to the weather and schedules. For instance Pav's school in Oxford was in session for three weeks past the Fourth of July, and we were lucky if the day was warm enough we didn't need to wear jackets and long pants. About as unimaginably different from our Iowa summers as spending Christmas in Australia. While another American mom and I brainstormed ideas for how to celebrate with the kids at Pav's school I realized it was so hard to come up with ideas because we were never in school on the Fourth of July. A day that is so much about backyard barbecues, parades and firework displays becomes hard to translate to a class room, but here was our attempt:
One of Pav's all time favorite meals: sweet corn and hot dogs
Her best friend Anna enjoys S'mores painstakingly made with imported graham crackers, Hershey's bars and marshmallow by Scott over disposable grills.
The next best thing to a real fireworks display: glow sticks and a video with the shutters closed.
All tuckered from all the festivities, Pav fell asleep on the bike on the way home.
