Memorial Day is the time to remember our patriotic heroes who sacrificed their lives to help all of us live in freedom. This day is observed with families and friends visiting cemeteries and memorials to pay homage to their loved ones.

Three years after the Civil War ended, on May 5, 1868, the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) established Decoration Day as a time for the nation to decorate the graves of the war dead with flowers. Maj. Gen. John A. Logan declared that Decoration Day should be observed on May 30. This date was chosen because flowers would be in bloom all over the country, no matter in which state you lived. (Remember, Alaska wasn't a state at the time.)

Anna Jarvis is recognized as the Founder of Mothers Day in US. Though Anna Jarvis never married and never had kids, she is also known as the Mother of Mothers Day, an apt title for the lady who worked hard to bestow honor on all mothers.

Anna Jarvis got the inspiration of celebrating Mother’s Day from her own mother Mrs. Anna Marie Reeves Jarvis. An activist and social worker, Mrs. Jarvis used to express her desire that someday someone must honor all mothers, living and dead, and pay tribute to the contributions made by them. A loving daughter, Anna never forgot her mother’s word and when her mother died in 1905, she resolved to fulfill her mother’s desire of having a mother’s day.

Cinco de Mayo marks an outnumbered Mexican army’s victory over an invading French army on May 5, 1862, in Puebla, east of Mexico City.

Fiesta Broadway, held in downtown Los Angeles, is considered the largest Cinco de Mayo celebration not just in the United States but also around the globe. At least that’s how organizers bill the event that draws more than a half million people to the city of angels each May.

The first Arbor Day took place on April 10, 1872 in Nebraska. It was the brainchild of Julius Sterling Morton (1832-1902), a Nebraska journalist and former Secretary of Agriculture under President Grover Cleveland. But his most important legacy is Arbor Day.

Morton's real opportunity arrived when he became a member of Nebraska's state board of agriculture. He proposed that a special day be set aside dedicated to tree planting and increasing awareness of the importance of trees. Nebraska's first Arbor Day was an amazing success. More than one million trees were planted!

Today, all 50 states celebrate Arbor Day although the dates may vary in keeping with the local climate. (Here in Wisconsin, we celebrate on the last Friday in April each year - this year it’s April 27th). Arbor Day is also now celebrated in other countries including Australia. Sometimes one good idea can make a real difference.

DIY – Do It Yourself! Dress up your wedding tables with these elegant napkin ideas! They complement your table settings by adding color, texture and a unifying element to your tablescape. They also are a fantastic way to add some personality to your wedding decor.

Use our Linen-Like® Smart Set™ dinner napkin! Your guests will be delighted to find cut flowers tucked into this unique napkin that has a slit that forms a pocket to easily preset your cutlery OR beautiful flowers…(To keep the blooms from wilting during the bash, slip the stems into little vials of water available at floral shops. Or you could use silk or paper flowers!)

In the early nineteenth century, Dolly Madison, the wife of the fourth American President, organized an egg roll in Washington, D.C.

She had been told that Egyptian children used to roll eggs against the pyramids so she invited the children of Washington to roll hard-boiled eggs down the hilly lawn of the new Capitol building! The custom continued, except for the years during the Civil War.

In 1880 the annual Egg Roll was moved to the White House lawn by First Lady, Lucy Hayes, because officials had complained that the Capitol lawn was being ruined by the affair. It has been held there ever since then, only canceled during times of war. The event has grown, and today Easter Monday is the only day of the year when tourists are allowed to wander over the White House lawn. The wife of the President sponsors it for the children of the entire country. The egg rolling event is open to children twelve years old and under. Adults are allowed ONLY when accompanied by children!

Now, more than ever before, there’s a huge focus on sanitation. This focus is very broad and expands from your home, to your children’s school, to college campuses, to restaurants. Disposable, single-use products will help keep surfaces sanitary and you and your family healthy.

Single-use tabletop products such as placemats and napkins are key when talking about sanitation and disease prevention.

Single-use products came into use as the answer to the spread of infectious and contagious diseases at a time when common drinking cups, plates, and utensils were the norm in society. In fact, the first single-use foodservice product was called the Health Cup, a name that described the cup’s primary benefit and value. It was sold to schools, hospitals, tubercular facilities and other places where infectious diseases could be communicated through unsanitary reusables.

According to the Greeting Card Association, an estimated one billion valentine cards are sent each year, making Valentine's Day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year! (An estimated 2.6 billion cards are sent for Christmas.)

Approximately 85 percent of all valentines are purchased by women. In addition to the United States, Valentine's Day is celebrated in Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France, and Australia.

The legend of Groundhog Day is based on an old Scottish couplet: "If Candlemas Day is bright and clear, there'll be two winters in the year."