Thursday, December 25, 2008

Christmas in the Cemetery II


Decorations
Originally uploaded by midgefrazel
As you saw in the earlier posting, this is a photo of a gravestone in one of my local Bridgewater Cemeteries which has been decorated for the Christmas holiday with a weatherproof plastic potted decoration.

In the cemeteries where many of my own ancestors are buried, decorations and flowers (or items of mourning) are only allowed at burial. Many cemeteries are struggling with the costs of maintaining the grass, shrubs, trees and the walkways.

Families who paid for burials used to pay a fee for perpetual care. This was supposed to cover the expenses forever. I am sure no one anticipated the extreme costs of today. Most graves are not visited by later generations. Just try asking people if they visit graves even at Memorial (or Decoration Day as it used to be called).

I hope this family named Pease rests in peace.

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