Sister Rain’s Note:
This is the fifth story about Wreaths Across America. To read the previous posts, click on the following:
Wreaths Across America – The Day
Wreaths Across America – The Person
Wreaths Across America – The Essay
Wreaths Across America – The Craft
I have previously written stories about Wreaths Across America, so when I sat down to draft a new account of the latest Wreaths Across America Day 2025, I had to think about how to approach it without repeating all I have said before. I will try not to be too redundant, yet if there is anything worth repeating, it is this.
The morning of 2025’s event was a gorgeous 26 degrees in Arlington, Virginia. As my husband and I do every year, we arrived at Arlington National Cemetery early in order to park in the family / handicap designated area, as they close the roads leading to that lot at 7:00 am. Once settled in a spot, we were required to remain in our car until 8:00 am, after which time we could make our way to the entrance of the cemetery. We watched the sunrise from the warmth of our car.
Our fourth year having the honor and privilege of remembering our Veterans, upon entering the cemetery, we were once again met with over 400,000 unwreathed graves. By 12:30 pm, there would be a wreath at every Veterans’ final resting place, except for those of the Jewish faith.
Whenever you do something multiple times, it is quite possible – and normal – that it will become less impressive, less meaningful. This is not the case with Wreaths Across America Day. Saying a Veteran’s name, thanking them for their service and wishing them a Merry Christmas are always the most profound hours of my year.
Waking up the next day to a fresh snowfall, Mister Rain took photos of the beautiful scene out the window. When I looked at the pictures on my iPad, enlarging them, I could make out Arlington National Cemetery in the distance, its headstones and wreaths covered in snow and blanketed with love.
Returning home, I made tags for the Veterans we had laid wreaths for that year, adding them to the names of those heroes for whom my husband and I placed wreaths in previous years. I will have to figure something out for next year, for there is no longer any room left. What a wonderful problem to have.
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