My fellow Americans, happy Independence Day!

What have you got going on today? Cook out in the back yard? Alien invasion movie double feature? Fireworks after sunset?

Maybe you decided to sleep late this morning. If that’s what you wanted to do on the 4th of July, that’s your right. You know why? Because this is AMERICA. If you want to sleep late, you are free to do so.

But let’s not talk about today. Let’s talk about yesterday. Let’s talk about why it makes sense to celebrate the 4th of July on the 3rd of July.

I don’t know about you guys, but as a 30-something American, I find staying up late to not always be the greatest decision. And if one were to make plans to watch the fireworks, one must plan to stay up late.

I know, a lot of you are probably thinking that fireworks don’t happen that late at night. I guess that’s sort of true. But it’s summer time. The days are long. Yeah, at this point the days are getting incrementally shorter. But we aren’t even two weeks beyond the longest day of the year. So that means sunset is closer to 9:00 than it is to 8:00.

And you really can’t begin the fireworks right at sunset, can you? Because the sky is still brightly lit by the sunlight still diffused across the atmosphere. It’s not full dark until closer to 10:00… right?

Look, that turns into a late night real quick. And who wants to get up early for work on July 5 after staying up past their bedtime to watch fireworks the night before?

Would that be a problem if you celebrated properly on July 3?

No, because you don’t have to go to work on July 4! Stay up as late as you want on the 3rd. Don’t set the alarm on the 4th!

Why do we need the day off on the 4th as it is? Like you’re spending all day getting ready to go out and watch the fireworks? Got to mentally prepare yourself?

So you work your full day on July 3, then you head out to a barbecue and watch the colorful explosions in the night sky. You get a good night’s sleep and a day to recover from your late night.

Logic. You’re welcome, America!