It’s hard to top a month who’s most notable holiday involves government sanctioned explosions. Perhaps it’s just the latent pyromaniac lurking under professional façade, but for me, there has always been something special about the 4th of July. Watching fireworks takes even the most rigid adult to a place of childhood wonder and awe, and each time we see them, it’s as though we’re watching again for the first time.
The shame of July is that this fun holiday comes so early in the month, so the time to work up to it is less than many of us marketing minded folks really like. Really, would it have been so hard for them to sign the Declaration of Independence on July 15th? And the real bummer of this year is that the 4th of July falls on a Sunday – No extra day off from work!
If I had until the 15th, I’d tell you that there are some really cool things you could do to build up to the big boom day. I’d suggest that you bring a pyrotechnician in to do a presentation on how fireworks are made, how they work, and basic firework safety for kids AND adults (a small burn scar on my forehead attests to the fact that we are never too old for a reminder about firework safety.). Or I’d suggest teaming up with your local firemen for this subject – they have incredibly effective visuals to illustrate to your children on site just why setting off M-80s in the middle of a San Francisco style community is a very bad idea, and they’ve got the nifty hats, which makes what they tell your kids far more memorable than any flyer you could ever send out.
I’d also tell you that this is a great time to hold a summer safety seminar with your residents. Besides the ill aimed bottle rocket, burns are most common in the summer from our toasty friend, Mr. Sun. Treating a sunburn for most people is a matter of patience and aloe vera, but there are other home remedies that work really well to take the sting out of the burn and reduce the healing time, my favorite of which involves a box of baking soda and a soak in the tub. Other summer safety hazards include teaching your residents how to identify the “problem plants” in your area. You’d be surprised how far in to someone’s good graces you can get just by teaching them how to recognize which leafy patches are the wrong places to sit down in when they’re out and about this summer. If you’ve ever been through a really nasty case of poison ivy, you understand exactly how endearing this small act can be for some people.
So those are just SOME things that I might tell you to try to do with your residents IF we could get that holiday moved. Anyone want to sign my petition? I also have one to make all holidays that fall on days that change year to year (Columbus Day, Mother’s Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day, etc.) choose ONE DAY so that I’m not constantly confused by my day planner. Who’s with me?