Popular Mechanics has twenty ways. They left out the most important one, though:

It is instructive, and educational (particularly for those who haven't seen it since high-school civics class, if then) to read aloud Jefferson's work of genius, the Declaration of Independence. In so doing, we are reminded of the principles on which this country was founded, the offenses committed against our ancestors by the English king, and the reasons that we forged our own nation.

So, I hope that you thank the founders who solemnly pledged "their Lives, their Fortunes, and their sacred Honor"--who sacrificed so much, and actually underwent bombardment by true explosives, so that you could enjoy your barbecued ribs and potato salad, and the benign burning of colorful chemicals launched on rockets.

I'm still not sure how you can stake your sacred honor, what with all that separation of church and state stuff. If you mention sacred and think about creating a new country, isn't that establishment of religion?

Sorry, my alter ego Skippy th ACLU supporter bled into the fore front.

I sat down with my young-uns and asked the lovely leading questions. Is today a birthday? Whose birthday is it? So on and so forth. When asked later, my son blurted out that its America's birthday! He then stated that we get the gift of being free. Brings a tear to the eye, especially since that wasn't one of the earlier leading questions.

Mac,
THAT takes the cake as this years best 4th of July story.

Thanks Steve, though being 7, they forgot all about it the next day....sigh