Now that Christmas is behind us, it's time to focus on the upcoming New Year - and that means stocking up on FIREWORKS!  Okay, maybe it's mostly a "guy thing" but firecrackers is something that we Baby Boomers grew up with.

Back in the day - on Oahu - we didn't need no stinkin' permit to purchase firecrackers.  We just needed someone over 18 years of age.  And it was simple then: Baby Camel or Checkerbombs.  Oh yeah, and "cracker balls".  Do you remember cracker balls?  Little colored balls about the size of a small jawbreaker.  Came in a square box similar to the box that mosquito punks come in.  Cracker balls were made out of what looked like paper mache and had little gray rocks inside them.  We'd throw them on the concrete floor hard enough so they'd pop.  Sometimes we'd have to give some stubborn ones a few overhand throws to the floor until they'd pop.  I always wanted to try shooting them against a wall with a slingshot - but we weren't allowed to have slingshots.  I don't know what ever happened to cracker balls.  My dad said they looked too much like candy and little kids were getting hurt by biting on them - so they banned them.

I remember on the days leading up to new years eve, we'd have our cigar boxes filled with stripped apart "Camel" firecrackers and our coffee cans with stripped apart Duck checkerbombs.  And we'd have some of our older model ships/airplanes/cars all set up with firecrackers taped on them ready for the big day when we could blow them up.

My dad always had to work a full day on new years eve and even though popping firecrackers was allowed after 1:00 PM back then - we weren't allow to light 'em up until my dad got home - which was a 4:20 PM.  On that day, we'd be sitting on the side of the street where he got dropped off from his carpool and watch every car come down the street until his carpool driver showed up.  As soon as he got out of the car and gave us the green light - we'd be running into the house to grab our stash and light our punks.  Since it was still daylight then, we'd always start off light - with the "baby camel" firecrackers - saving the bigger checkerbombs for the dark of the night.  We'd burn up the "baby camels"first -kind of like a prelude to blasting off the checkerbombs.

Then it was time to take out the checkerbombs and all the plastic models that we had set up for demolition.  Blowing up all those plastic models was the best!  Light it, run back and watch all the plastic pieces fly around the yard.  Then walk up to it and check out the damage to it.  Sometimes it called for another firecracker strategically placed to make sure the whole thing was in ruins.  Boy, those were some happy times!

Ever had a firecracker blow up in your hand?  Of course you did - it's a part of growing up, right?  I remember throwing the checkerbombs into the air trying to time it just right so it'd explode in the air instead of landing on the ground.  So I'd light the fuse, hold it for a bit, then throw it as high as I could.  Each time I'd try to hold it longer and longer, feeling braver and braver, until - BAM!  Right in my hand.  A little scared - and with my ear ringing loudly - I'd gently put out the punk, head into the house, and turn on the TV acting as though I was taking a break.  Actually, I was waiting for the feeling to return to my fingers and for my ear to stop ringing.  As I looked down at my fingers - I notice them all silver from the firecracker powder.  I go to the bathroom and quickly wash it all off before anyone notices it and teases me about having a firecracker going off in my hand.  Like I said - it's just a part of growing up.

Then as night fell - we'd have the small "throw packs" of firecrackers that we'd be tossing up into the air.  None of this single firecracker thing as it was night - time for the "throw packs".  And as midnight rolled around, we'd have some of the longer packs to blast on the street.  We never did get the long strings with the bomb on the end, but our neighbor always did.  And we'd make sure we walked to the end of the street to watch his long string go off and wait for the huge bomb on the end to mark the finale.

Any favorite firecracker stories?  I remember one time I was playing firecrackers in the back yard and looking for stuff to blow up.  The neighbor's avocado tree had dropped some avocados in our yard that looked pretty tempting.  I just had to try it.  Stuck my firecracker into the old rotten avocado, lit the fuse, ran back and watched it explode!  Whoa!  That thing disintegrated!  Then I looked up at the bed sheet that our neighbor had hanging on their clothesline - splattered with rotten avocado.  Oops.  Time to put out the punk and nonchalantly slip into the house, turn on the TV, and act like I'm taking a break.  And don't play firecrackers in the back yard for the rest of that new years eve.

What used to be hard to take for us living on Oahu, was the KTA Stores TV commercials that advertised not only firecrackers, but roman candles, bottle rockets, and other aerial fireworks that was illegal on Oahu.  We'd hear so many stories of friends who spent the new years eve holiday with relatives on Maui or the Big Island and how much fun they had shooting of the aerials.  Ho, those country hicks - they sure had it good.

Come on you FBI (From Big Island) folks - tell us how much fun you guys had playing with the rockets and stuff.  Make us Oahu folks all J.

Today's fireworks are weak compared to what we had back then.  The paperless firecrackers make about the same amount of noise as the "baby camels" used to.  If you want the original Duck Brand checkerbombs, you have to pay the man for a permit - which is a racket IMHO.  And have you noticed a lot more illegal aerials nowadays than before time?
Here's my theory on why that is:  It's a hassle to fill out the form and pay for the permit to buy the good stuff - I mean the checkerbombs - so people go to the black-market to get them.  But then their connection says that besides the boxes of 10,000 and 20,000 - they also have aerials - from penny rockets to mortars to professional grade stuff.  So the buyer figures that since he's gone through all the trouble of meeting up with his uncle's sister-in-law's neighbor's nephew - he might as well pick up some aerials too.  Now if the city would just get rid of the firecracker permit scam and let people buy firecrackers like they used to, they wouldn't go through all the hassle of going to the black-market route and in turn, wouldn't have the opportunity to purchase aerials.  If it's just about the money - then tax the fireworks with stickers the same way that cigarettes are taxed - but make it easy to purchase firecrackers and the aerial black-market will subside.  That's my take on it.  ** stepping off the soapbox now **

There is one no-permit-required novelty firework that is pretty good.  It's the Ground Blooming Flower with Report.  These puppies spin and shoot out multi-colored sparks like the others - except this one pops at the end.  And because of the size of the Ground Blooming Flower - it's a LOUD pop.  But you have to make sure it says "with Report" because the "report" is the pop.  Some are just spinners and some will spin then crackle - and you'll have to pick up all the burnt ones after they're done.  But the ones with "report" just explode to smithereens so there is no rubbish to pick up.  Oh, and did I mention that they are LOUD?

So what are some of your firecracker memories?  Were you fortunate enough to play with aerials?  Did you do naughty things that got you or almost got you in trouble - like blowing up rotten avocados?  Do you still pop firecrackers today to keep the tradition alive?  And do you know someone's brother's uncle's next-door-neighbor's ex-wife's kid-sister's niece who can score some illegal stuff from?  Share your firecracker stories with us.

My stash.