Happy Bonfire Night!

Last year's Bonfire Night

I had grand plans of forcing my family members to celebrate Guy Fawkes Day with me this evening.  I was determined to light a fire, however small it might be, somewhere in our back yard and pull out the leftover fireworks that have been gathering dust since The Fourth of July. 

Sadly, it didn't come together.

I'm not sure what culprit I can blame for its failure.  Mostly like it's due to a combination of factors.  We did receive our first proper snow last night, and the family isn't keen on going into the cold without good cause.  An ideal fire location does not exist on our property.  My mother had no idea what I was talking about when I suggested a Bonfire Night Bonanza.  Mentions of The Gunpowder Plot, Guy Fawkes and Houses of Parliament did not succeed in enlightening her, and I was finally compelled to provide a brief history.  It could also be that after watching the totally deep and cerebral movie Dodgeball we were too tired for much else. 

In fact, the only person who exhibited any enthusiasm for Bonfire Night was my brother.  I'm certain it has more to do with his deep and abiding passion for burning things rather than an excitement for English holidays.  His face lit up at the idea of burning an effigy in the fire.  Still, perhaps I can use his pyromania to my advantage and gain force for a celebration later this week.  

I hope my friends in England had fantastic Bonfire Nights.  And if my American buddies are curious what Bonfire Night is all about, I wrote a post explaining Guy Fawkes Day when I celebrated the holiday in Leeds last year.  It also contains an anecdote about the getting hit on by a weirdo (oh, joy!), but you can simply ignore that bit.