Six Things You Need To Know About Memorial Day

Think you know all about Memorial Day? 
Think again!

It's Memorial Day weekend and we hope you're  having a great time.

This year Memorial Day is observed two days before the day's actual, traditional observance day, May 30.
This year, we hope that you take time to remember those who have protected us and who have made (and continue to make) our freedom possible. Because Memorial Day is all about those who gave their lives defending our country.  They made the ultimate sacrifice. In this way Memorial Day differentiates itself from Veterans Day which honors all veterans.

Now, let's get to the business at hand:

1) Not everyone will spend the long weekend at the Jersey shore. The media would have you believe that everyone is headed to the shore but that's just an easy way for the media to not report real stories over the weekend while at the same time nurturing the myth of the Great Shore Exodus. In fact, people enjoy the weekend in many different ways at many different places. We know we do -- and will.

2) Summer doesn't begin on Memorial Day. Summer begins on June 21, the summer solstice. And summer doesn't end on Labor Day. Summer ends on September 23 when autumn begins. The media and the travel industry concocted the idea that summer lasts from Memorial Day to Labor Day. It doesn't.

3) As we noted, Memorial Day is actually May 30. Congress changed the day around to make it a three-day weekend in another attempt to rob a fine holiday of its true meaning. So, Memorial Day is now the last Monday in May which means it can come as late as May 31 or as early as May 24. Leave it to the government to mess things up.

4) Memorial Day didn't become Memorial Day until 1966 when President Johnson officially renamed it. Prior to that it was widely known as Decoration Day - the day when Americans decorated the graves of the fallen. At it's core it's a somber day.

5) The artificial boundaries of Memorial Day and Labor Day mean absolutely nothing even though many people perceive these boundaries to coincide with the school year. Most children go to school well past Memorial Day. Many children (particularly in southern states) return to school well before Labor Day. Others return several days after Labor Day.

6) This year Memorial Day actually arrives close to the traditional date and Labor Day (the first Monday in September) is September 4. So, the stretch between the two is about average -- mixed news for vacation and travel vendors.

But, remember: Memorial Day isn't when people say it is. The summer hasn't begun - yet. It won't end on Labor Day. Many people will get through the whole summer without ever going to the Jersey shore. They will have a wonderful time nonetheless.

The Memorial Day and Labor Day boundaries are totally imaginary!

So, there you have it.
Enjoy what's left of spring.

And don't say "Happy Memorial Day" as the day is actually a solemn day set aside to remember and honor those who died defending our freedom. Pause. Reflect. Pay homage.
Then, go ahead and enjoy summer all the way through till September 22.
In fact, enjoy each day as a blessed gift. Savor every day, no matter the season.
Don't be cheated.