December 15th is Wreaths Across America Day, a day dedicated to honoring and remembering fallen U.S. veterans.

On this day, there’s a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, as well as at more than 1400 other locations throughout the country. Click here to learn about the history of this event!

According to the Wreaths Across America website, this day has three core values: remember, honor, and teach. Let’s discuss how your funeral home can honor and remember veterans while teaching your community the importance of memorialization.

Value of Memorialization

Your community can come together to remember those who died fighting for our country. They made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom, so it’s up to us to have their memory and what they fought for live on forever. Laying the wreaths on the veterans’ gravesites is a powerful and meaningful way to show your respect and remembrance.

Honor the Fallen and Those Who Currently Serve

Not only should we honor those who have fallen, but also those who are currently serving our country. They’re spending the holidays away from their families to protect and fight for us. One way your funeral home can show your thanks is to send them care packages with non-perishable food and other supplies. You can encourage your community members to drop off donations for the care packages at your funeral home.

How to Get Involved on Wreaths Across America Day

There are many ways your funeral home can get involved and encourage community participation. You can volunteer to help out at your local veterans cemetery wreath-laying ceremony. Or if there isn’t one already, you can request to add your cemetery as an event participant!

If people can’t attend — or even if they can — they can donate to sponsor a wreath for as little as $15 for one wreath or find a local organization accepting wreath donations. You also can start your own group to raise funds.

You also can host a gathering at your funeral home, such as serving hot cocoa and cookies after the wreath-laying ceremony. And don’t forget to share photos and updates of the event on your funeral home’s social media pages!

This event is a great way to honor and memorialize veterans, but you can educate and host events year-round.

How to Educate Your Community

It’s important to educate your community, especially children, the value of freedom and honoring our veterans. The Wreath Across America website has some materials for ways to teach children. You can teach them about the sacrifice our veterans made for our country and why and how to honor them. For example, you can host an event at your funeral home to write cards to soldiers or to place flowers on veterans’ graves.

How is your funeral home getting involved for Wreaths Across America Day? Share what you’re doing in your community in the comments section!