As Americans, we are forever grateful to our armed forces and for those who have fought to keep us safe. Here are some ways you can celebrate the holiday with your family.
- Visit Greenfield Village for a Civil War Remembrance
- “Spend Memorial Day weekend immersed in living history as soldiers, civilians, musicians, and expert historians provide demonstrations, exhibits and special commemorations. Taste hard tack and discover an authentically reproduced civil war era horse-drawn Coffee Wagon providing warm comforts to war weary soldiers. Strike up a conversation with one of dozens of living history experts wearing meticulous reproductions of historic clothing for an impromptu lesson on topics from fashion to medicine.”
- Make a flag
- You can tie die a shirt, paint some wood pallets, or put the colors of the flag on just about anything. Talk about what each color represents.
- Write a list of things your grateful for
- Think of everything you enjoy about being an American and write down a list of as many things that you can think of. Spend time being grateful.
- Volunteer
- Give back to others by volunteering your time at a homeless shelter or nursing home.
- Have a moment of silence
- There’s no better way to honor our veterans than to take some time to think about what they did for us quietly and sincerely. The National Moment of Remembrance begins at 3 p.m. and lasts one minute.
- Visit a cemetery
- Pay tribute to our fallen heroes that fought for all of the things we know and love. Look for a local veterans’ cemetery and bring flags or flowers to leave at the graves.
- Do something nice for a stranger
- What better way to be a nice citizen than to just do something kind. Something as simple as feeding a parking meter can mean a lot to someone.
- Make care packages for active military
- There are so many things that military personal love to receive and cards and toys from children are big hits.
- Learn about a veteran
- Take time to visit a veteran and ask them to share their life story. People in nursing homes often don’t have many family members to visit them and even less on holidays that aren’t Christmas and Thanksgiving.
- Lower your flag
- If you don’t already have a flag, now is a great time to invest in one. Ensure you teach your children the ceremony of putting a flag at half-staff.
