Just one. Dad.

Mom and I do, her mom and dad's, two of her brothers, her grandparents, and a nephew of hers. Also a baby sister of her's that only lived 1 day. Grampa was always embarrased by the fact that they didn't have the money for a plot of their own when she died, and so she was buried in the potters area (why is it called that?) He never told Gramma where she was buried. Later, after Grampa died, Gramma went and found out where she was buried,through cemetery records, and had a head stone put on her grave.
Leslie

None...it's not done in my family, nor any other that I know of.
Is this a regional thing?
I thought Memorial Day was for honoring those who died in the wars.

I'm sure it's not regional thing...

There were several that replied on my post with the pic of the crosses that don't live anywhere near me.

patti

None, we don't do it in our family either.

My kids and I used to help the local VFW place flags and crosses on all of the veterans and wives graves though.

I'm 3000 miles from my Dad's grave. My sister might do it...I don't know.

I always do DH's dad's grave. I also took the girls and we went up last month and helped clean out the cemetery here and the girls cleaned headstones. I started going to the cemetery and putting out flowers when I was a little girl and always went all over with my Grandma. Before the kids I would make the rounds to my granparents on my mom's side, my great grandparents and great aunts and uncles and my other grandpa. I could go around to all of them in one afternoon. If it wasn't so rainy and the gas prices so high I would be off doing that since the kids are gone, but most of the cemeteries are out in the country and have gravel roads, so far we have had 2 and a half inches and is supposed to rain and storm through tomorrow afternoon. Maybe I will go out and do it tomorrow afternoon just to get out of the house.

Stacie
girlsingardens

I have three family graves that I keep flowers on at all times. Our Local Veterans place flags on the Vet Graves.

Gayle

We have about 20 that we decorate-all in the same cemetary. Grandparents, great grandparents, aunts and uncles. It is not a family cemetary, but a lot of my kin lived in the same area all their life and lots still do, so the cemetary that we go to probably has 100 graves and probably at least 80 are related to me.

"I guess I need to cut up a couple more boards and get busy..."

What are the boards for?

I think it may be a regional thing. Growing up in CA, the only time folks decorated graves on Memorial Day was veterans who died in the war. Living across the street from a cemetery here in Iowa, I am surprised at all the activity there for Mother's Day, Memorial Day, etc. It seems that midwesterners decorate graves more than those on the East and West coasts.

Between me and my husband we do 13 graves.Two we keep stuff on year round.My mothers and his mothers.He climed over a big snow banking for me last year to put a wreath on my mothers grave.

The only graves 'decorated' around here for Memorial Day are those of the Veterans.
Flags are put on, and the cemeteries do that.

Just one, my DB's grave, he was a WWII veteran. My Dad was a WWI veteran but he and Mom are buried in Ca. and there's no longer any family nearby.

When I lived in Ca. I never noticed all the decorataions on graves, but back here it is done all over in all the cemetaries.

We used to visit the family cemetary around Memorial Day every year. It was always a time for people to clean up the cemetery and put new flowers out. I don't live near family any more.

I was raised in MA and every Memorial Day people would go to the cemetery to clean the graves and put out flowers. The Veterans would place flags on the graves of soldiers and other veterans.

I no longer live near there and most of my family are gone. We have a family friend who used to be our neighbor when I was growing up. She goes and does her husband and sons graves. While there she does my mothers and brothers. My mother was her best friend. I send her a check for flowers and really appreciate that she does this in rememberance of my family.

We just got back from decorating 7 graves...The cemetery does put the flags on all the veterans but we do the flowers. I'm 70 and we've done this as long as I can remember...This might sound morbid, but we would always walk through the cemetery and read the stones...Very, very interesting to see the different ages of those who had passed...
We also have a big parade on Memorial day and it ends at the cemetery with our HS band playing patriotic songs and a very nice memorial service....

The county where I live has different Memorial days to honor all the family members that have passed. We do honor our fallen soldiers on our Memorial day weekend.

I put flowers and flags on my dads, my brother and two uncles this weekend.

Mothers day weekend was memorial day at both cemeteries where my gparents are buried and I put flowers on them.

We've never done this. I keep live flowers planted at my parents grave--right now it's Mexican heather and periwinkles. I thought this was a veteran's observance.

I keep my parent's grave decorated year around. Before her death my Mother decorated grandparent's and other family member's graves, but I find that to be too much.

Just two. My daughter, Christin's, and my mom's.

No offense, but when I first read this I thought it an unusual subject. However, I'm very happy you mentioned it. It really is a good reminder. My DD passed on Memorial Day - it will be 14 yrs. My Mom, my Stepdad and my daughter are together. My stepdad is a veteran so I will honor him for that. Mom and DD will get flowers.

Happy Memorial Day to all!!

No one, like some of the others, it is meant for Veterans who died fighting for this country. The first time I ever heard of people including everyone was when I moved to KY and I still find it very odd.

Here in rural Alabama country churches with cemeteries have a Homecoming/Decoration. Mine is always the first Sunday in May. We clean the cemetery and place flowers on Saturday and have an all day singing and lunch at the church on Sunday. It is like a family reunion of all the members and former members. This is something that is fading away with time. Most people who tended the graves are gone and newer churches that are built around here do not have cemeteries. I have four generations of grandparents there and that is where my parents will be buried and me also.

I had already posted but wanted to share....Way back when, alot of the older people always called it "Decoration Day" and just yesterday, my sister said, she will be away for Decoration Day....
I think the reason, along with honoring the veterans, it's a time for new decorations, a way to beautify. By Memorial Day, hopefully the chance of frost is gone and flowers can be planted...

Irish..here in our cemeteries we aren't allowed to plant flowers or bushes. In all the newer areas we aren't allow to have upright headstones. They all have to be flat to the ground to make mowing easier.

All of our flowers have to be removed by a certain date. If not they throw them all away.

Some people have been know to go out and take them if people didn't pick them up. And you see them being sold on street corner the next year.

One year I made special ones for each person gone in our family. Such as for the brother that died as a baby I cut an old time rattle (ball on each end like weights) and painted it like the old one were painted. Someone stold all of them. I had intended to go back to get them but they were gone before the date of removal.

I think it's a lovely custom to decorate the graves, and somehow important for the living. I grew up in WA and OR with the custom but here in CA, no one I know seems to do so. Except for Mexican-American people who decorate for Day of the Dead in Oct.(?) That is a big celebration and I think they've got it right! Having said all that, I still don't go visit my dad's grave when I visit Portland because it makes me cry and I don't want my mom, who would be with me, to see me cry because she would probably start, and that would do me in!