Personalized Gifts

What is Memorial Day and why do we recognize it as a National holiday?  (many people know this answer, so not to insult your intelligence) Memorial Day is a day to commemorate US men and women who died while in the military service. 

Here is an excerpt from the online Wikipedia and to read the entire article go here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorial_Day:

“Many people observe this holiday by visiting cemeteries and memorials. A national moment of remembrance takes place at 3 p.m. local time. Another tradition is to fly the flag of the United States at half-staff from dawn until noon local time. Volunteers often place American flags on each grave site at National Cemeteries.

Members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars take donations for poppies in the days leading up to Memorial Day; the poppy’s significance to Memorial Day is the result of the John McCrae poem “In Flanders Fields.”

In addition to remembrance, Memorial Day is also used as a time for picnics, barbecues, family gatherings, and sporting events. One of the longest-standing traditions is the running of the Indianapolis 500, an auto race which has been held in conjunction with Memorial Day since 1911.”

I know several families that have their annual Memorial weekend picnic and it seems that in the air on that weekend and day you can smell the grills cooking it up.  Three years ago my son was born on Memorial Day so we are usually celebrating his birthday with family that weekend and it’s usually at the beach.  Doesn’t hurt that’s where my in-laws live!  So he gets to have a little family birthday party at their house with a cookout, cake, icecream, and his 3 cousins.  Not to mention the beach time he gets and just loves. 

What traditions do you carry out each year at Memorial Day?