"PS: Did your families beat pots and pans at midnight???? or was that just for us, when we were kids."
No never heard that one, we shoot fireworks, except this year it was raining cats and dogs. When I was a young kid seemed like every one of my grandfathers brothers showed up at our place around supper with cowbells and would ring them after eating.
Wonder if part of the tradition is just the act of making noise?????