THE DAY – AT 12:44 P.M. ET:  As we start the Memorial Day weekend, I have a request.  A number of people have said to me, in stores and elsewhere, "Have a happy Memorial Day weekend," or have asked, "How are you celebrating Memorial Day?"  These people are friendly and mean well.

However – and this is something we should teach our kids – we don't "celebrate" Memorial Day, we observe it or commemorate it.  And the word "happy" should never be associated with it. 

Memorial Day is a solemn holiday, recalling America's war dead.  Yes, like all other American holidays, it has become a commercial venture – lowest prices of the year, you know – and the honored dead are either briefly recalled, or not recalled at all.  As a child, I remember full Memorial Day ceremonies at a monument featuring the names of the fallen.  Many of the names were new.  I don't know how many of those ceremonies are still held.

There are a number of claimed origins for Memorial Day.  In general, the remembrance was started either during or just after the Civil War.  Originally it was called Decoration Day because the graves of soldiers were "decorated," usually marked with a small flag.  The term "Decoration Day" was strong in my youth, and citizens would often wear little poppies in their lapels to mark the occasion.   "Decoration Day" has faded, and now "Memorial Day" is almost universal. 

So let us remember the meaning.  There's no sin in having recreational events, but the meaning should always be present.  If that meaning is to endure, it will have to be carried by the average American, for our elites have essentially abandoned us. 

May 26,  2018