What Memorial Day means to different people

1 Here comes summer: Most people view Memorial Day weekend as the kickoff to the summer season, with lots of plans for camping, opening the backyard pool, cooking on the grill and traveling to visit family. AAA Travel projects 36.1 million people will journey 50 or more miles from home over the weekend -- the second-highest travel volume since 2000. Might have something to do with the long and brutal winter we experienced.

2 Dress code: Some old-school fashionistas still contend the well-dressed woman wears white shoes and summer fashions only between Memorial Day and Labor Day. That tradition has pretty much gone the way of the muu'muu, the roller skate key and the chalk board.

3 Days of recognition: Memorial Day originally was a day to commemorate Union and Confederate soldiers who had died during the Civil War. Some confuse the purposes of Memorial Day and Veterans Day, Nov. 11. Memorial Day is a day of remembering the men and women who died while serving, while Veterans Day recognizes the service of all U.S. military veterans.

4 Three-day weekend: Formerly known as Decoration Day, the current name came into use after World War II. During the Memorial Day weekend many make a point to visit cemeteries and decorate the graves not only of military members but also those of other family and friends. For about a century, Memorial Day was observed on May 30, no matter what day of the week it was. That changed in 1971 with the implementation of the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, and the three-day weekends we now take for granted were born.

5 Price is right: Retailers like to jump on any holiday to declare a sale -- Presidents Day Sale! Labor Day Bargains! Pre-Easter Savings! After-Easter Markdowns! -- and Memorial Day is no exception. "Hey, honey, it's Memorial Day; let's buy a new mattress!"