I always bought 'em for later when the kids were growing up. Since 4th of July and New Years were often too dry to be safe for fireworks, we'd get 'em for after the first good rainstorm. That was always a nice treat for the girls. Something to look forward to after a good rain. :-)
When I was a kid I also liked those kind of fireworks that don't really explode but they look like little q-tips and they make a big pop when you throw them on concrete--don't know what they're called anymore but they were fun :)