Cemeteries in Farmersville, Blue Ridge, Lowry Crossing, McKinney, Merit, Van Alstyne — and throughout Texas and the U.S. — will remember, honor and teach at wreath laying ceremonies Saturday, Dec. 17, as part of National Wreaths Across America Day.  

The ceremonies, which start promptly at 11 a.m. nationwide, honors veterans for their service in a final end-of-year tribute by placing fresh evergreen wreaths with red bows —delivered from Maine —in remembrance.

For the past 31 years, the nonprofit, Wreaths Across America, has sent more than 14.4 million wreaths to various locations, including national cemeteries and veterans’ memorials in all 50 states and overseas. In 2021, approximately 2.4 million veterans’ remembrance wreaths were delivered to 3,137 locations across the United States.

In Lowry Crossing, for the fifth year in a row, the Wilson Chapel Cemetery will honor veterans in a special ceremony in its historic chapel before moving outside for the placing of wreaths on the graves of veterans.

Linda Dillard, a resident of Lowry Crossing is also in her fifth year as the location coordinator for the Wreaths Across America Ceremony at Wilson Chapel Cemetery. Pamela Gillard will serve as the backup location coordinator, said Dillard, because “she has family members buried at the cemetery that are veterans and she is also a member of my John F. Greer Chapter.” 

The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) John F. Greer Chapter has been involved as the fundraiser for the group since the beginning.

“This is the fourth year to be fully funded so that every veteran buried at Wilson Chapel Cemetery will receive a live evergreen wreath,” Dillard said. “Initially, when we began hosting in 2018, we had identified 145 veterans in the cemetery.”

Dillard said their list of veterans has now grown to 229, “with more veterans identified who were buried but never properly identified, along with the deaths of veterans who have been buried since 2018.” 

The wreath count for the Wilson Chapel Cemetery WAA ceremony was planned for 230, she said, “in the event the death of a veteran occurs after the cutoff date to order wreaths for the ceremony.”

Dillard said she is always nervous the week before the ceremony as she “never knows when the truck will arrive with our wreaths until the day before or the day of their arrival.”  

“I always have our pickup truck empty with the sideboards on it — and plenty of gas — so that I can immediately drop everything and meet our truck driver,” she said. “I have a group text ready to send out to my volunteers who have offered to help me unload/load the boxes of wreaths to our pickup truck.”

The 27 boxes of wreaths will remain in Dillard’s truck in her garage until Saturday’s ceremony which will start promptly at 11 a.m., inside the historic Wilson Chapel, located in Wilson Chapel Cemetery at 100 Chapel Lane. 

“I am asking veterans who attend to place the ceremonial wreaths on the easels at the front of the chapel during the ceremony,” she said. “This is the most emotional part of the service in my opinion as they salute the wreath after it is placed on the easel.”

After the ceremony, families of veterans buried at the cemetery will be dismissed first to place their wreaths on their family veterans’ grave. Then the remaining guests will be dismissed. 

The idea for Christmas wreaths honoring veterans at Arlington National Cemetery was spearheaded 31 years ago by Morrill Worcester, the owner of a Maine wreath company. His vision, along with the support of a Maine senator, veteran groups, a trucking company, and other organizations, quickly developed into an annual tribute.

Last week, the Senate unanimously passed a resolution introduced by Maine’s U.S. Senators, Susan Collins and Angus King, designating Saturday, Dec. 17, 2022, as “Wreaths Across America Day.” 

“From Arlington National Cemetery that overlooks our nation’s capital, to Normandy American Cemetery above the beaches that Allied troops stormed on D-Day, the wreath laying ceremonies on Dec. 17 are a powerful demonstration of respect and appreciation for our veterans,” said Senators Collins and King in a Dec. 7 news release. “This resolution remembers and honors America’s veterans this holiday season, while also teaching younger generations of the sacrifices that have been made to secure our freedoms and to defend our liberty.”

Dillard said, for her, this is now a Christmas tradition for the holiday season to pay tribute to veterans — some whose graves are not visited all year — who gave the ultimate sacrifice.

“Thankfully, they will be remembered this Christmas, as we say their name, thank them for their service, and salute them either with our hand over our heart, or if the wreath layer is past or current military/first responder, properly saluting the veteran’s grave,” she said.

Dillard said anyone is welcome to attend this “very patriotic, emotional ceremony.” 

“Adults and children alike are invited to attend,” she said, “as this is a perfect time to Honor, Remember and Teach.” 

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