Memorial Day was previously held on May 30th, regardless of the actual day of the week. In 1968, Congress passed the Uniform Holidays Bill designed to use federal holidays to create three-day weekends. Memorial Day is currently celebrated every year on the last Monday in May and commemorates all men and women, who have died in military service for the United States. Memorial Day is a federal holiday. Non-essential Federal Government offices are closed on Memorial Day, as are government businesses, schools, and other related organizations. Consumer transit systems also do not usually run on their regular schedules.
Numerous cemeteries throughout the United States participate in a national remembrance of our soldiers. Many other veterans’ organizations will be holding parades and other tributes. Arlington National Cemetery has a ceremony each year in which a small American flag is placed on every grave. Traditionally, this is a day that the President or Vice President lays a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. More than 5,000 people usually attend the ceremony annually.
The tradition of the red poppies on Memorial Day was inspired by the poem "In Flanders Fields " written in 1915 by John McCrea. Moina Belle Michael (1868-1944) of Georgia, was a volunteer war worker and professor. She made a personal pledge to always wear red silk poppies as an emblem for "keeping the faith" with all who died. She began the campaign to make poppies the universal symbol of tribute and support for veterans. The idea was widely adopted in the United States and spread to more than 50 other countries.
For the fashion conscious, Memorial Day starts the season as acceptable to wear white clothing, and shoes in particular until it ends on Labor Day. However, as time goes on, less people follow this rule and most now wear white clothing as they wish throughout the year.
Memorial Day is just around the corner, and retailers are gearing up to announce their holiday sales. But while many items are reduced for the weekend, only some things are being offered at discounts that count. For ways to Score a Great Deal During Memorial Day Sales, check out this article at DailyFinance. Here's how to get the best deal for your dollar.
For instance, if you're in the market for electronics, this is not the best time to buy. They'll be on sale, but prices won't be as low as they are during Thanksgiving and Christmas. You're better off waiting until Black Friday to make these kinds of purchases.
Memorial Day weekend is a great time to focus on appliances and furniture. According to Dealspl.us, Sears discounted their Kenmore appliances by 30 percent, and offered other brands at 15 percent off retail price. Meanwhile, Kmart offered 50 percent off of their furniture, and Home Depot reportedly had patio accessories on sale for 50 percent off.
Finally, timing is everything. ShopItToMe.com says that there are two to three times more sales to be found on the Friday before Memorial Day, while they tend to taper off on Sunday and Monday. For the best selection online, start searching for sales on Wednesday. Convenient sites like Memorialdaysales.net will help you make sense of it all, and tell you who's selling what, when and where. Happy shopping!
According to a recent Forbes article, the 5 Ways to get ready for a Memorial day Road Trip are to:
1) Plot your route. Lots of people dream about getting in the car and just driving away. But preparation will help you maximize fun and minimize hassles. A key part of planning your road trip is deciding just how much you want to drive each day. Are you a straight-through kind of driver, or do you like to pull off when a brown historic attraction sign catches your eye? If you’ll have company on the trip, sit down well in advance and iron out the kinks in your driving styles. Nothing is worse than fighting or sulking when one person wants to stop and the other doesn’t.
2) Who is in the car? Summer is a time when new parents take babies to visit relatives. It’s also an ideal opportunity for seniors to caravan someplace. For those in between, long car trips can be pretty dull unless there’s something to keep minds occupied. Consider the ages of everyone who’ll be riding along, and prepare accordingly. Remember that while you might have a lot of stamina, others need frequent breaks. Three to four hours is a good rule of thumb for bathroom and leg-stretching breaks. You may need to plan on a stop every two hours if there’s a baby on board.
3) Reservations are protection. I rarely hit the road without knowing that I’ll have a place to sleep when I arrive. Some people are more adventurous and don’t like to commit to a destination. But if you’re headed to a particularly popular spot, it pays to book rooms in advance. It’s not a good idea to be tired, hot and wandering through an unfamiliar city. Also, if you book before you leave, print out the confirmations just in case the computer system is down at the hotel. A piece of paper can be more valuable than an email on a computer screen.
4) Your wheels or rental wheels? If you’re planning to drive your own car, make sure it’s in road ready shape. Now’s the time to get that oil change, fill up the washer fluid, and check all five tires (including the spare) for pressure and tread. If you’re leasing a car, you ought to calculate whether your road trip miles can fit comfortably in your annual limit. If not, consider renting wheels for a week or two.
5) On the menu. Culinary tourism is a huge market, and a number of people are heading for destinations like New Orleans, San Francisco and Chicago just to eat. If you have your heart set on a celebrity chef’s restaurant, book a table before you leave. Even lesser known venues get filled up in the summer, and the plea, “we’re from out of town” might not get you very far if everyone else has reserved and you haven’t.
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