My household was a minor affair, we had little candles in the shape of the WTC on the dining room table. We would thank George Bush for the Patriot Act and then light the candles. We had to be good, because George Bush was always watching us with the Patriot Act, but if we were good, we’d get little pilot’s wings pins.
The rich kids in my neighborhood had more elaborate plans. They had full on model WTC towers. If they were good, there would be RC planes under the towers on 9/11 morning. They were always showing me the cool videos when they destroyed the towers.
I had the best parents, they always made a big deal of this tradition when we were growing up.
I remember one 9/11 when we were kids, they built the cardboard towers in our living room, and wrapped them with firecrackers. Us kids got to light the firecrackers and there was a little ‘pop’ each time until the towers became structurally unsound and collapsed.
Then when the towers fell, us kids got to rip the wrapping paper off WTC7 and the other minor buildings to get the presents and sweets inside.
Beautiful childhood memories. The smell of firecrackers still brings me back :')