For most, the holidays are about family.

Payton Dudek’s grandparents are among 59,000 service members buried at the Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery.

Her grandmother passed away a month ago.

“My grandmother loved flowers; she loved poinsettias. We always had one every Christmas in the house, so I thought it would be fitting for her first Christmas with my grandfather in Heaven to have some here with her as well,” said Dudek.

Honoring those who’ve given their lives in the service of others is also top of mind for Wreaths Across America.

Each year, festive wreaths purchased online by the public in November are placed by volunteers on each gravestone at DFW Cemetery during a touching ceremony in December.

But before this year’s beloved ceremony on December 13, the wreath-purchasing effort is still short about 16,000 wreaths and the purchase deadline is Friday at midnight.

“I’ve said before, a veteran can die twice, the first time when they stop breathing, second time when we stop saying their name,” said Vietnam Veteran and co-organizer of the local DFW Wreaths Across America efforts Larry Allen.

Wreaths Across America relies entirely on donations.

Each wreath costs $17. They’re all shipped from Maine, forcing Friday’s hard deadline.

The mission has faced similar trouble before, including years when some gravestones have been left without a wreath.

“What goes through my mind is I’m scared like heck that we won’t meet the full range of 59,000 wreaths,” said Allen. “The Channel 5 area has always responded and we’re hoping they’re going to do that again today, because that wreath is more than just a wreath. It’s a place to honor our veterans and let our gratitude show as a reminder that their service and their sacrifice is not forgotten.”

Christy Berlin of Springtown has participated in the touching ceremony before.

She spent Black Friday placing holiday flowers at the headstones of her husband, who served in the Marines and her brother-in-law, who served in the Army.

“I’ve sponsored two wreaths so far and anybody who can help, it’s just so heartwarming to come out here and be a part of this,” she said.

Dudek’s grandmother also instilled the importance of this simple yet meaningful expression of gratitude, especially after the family moved away from DFW.

“Yes, my grandmother was big on it,” she said. “My grandmother was actually blind, so it made it pretty difficult to get up here to decorate for every holiday, which is why Wreaths Across America meant so much to her that way my grandfather wouldn’t feel alone hours away from us … No one wants to think of their loved ones as ever being forgotten.”

You can purchase any number of wreaths for the DFW National Cemetery through the NBC 5 Veterans’ Network page or wreathsacrossdfw.com.

The NBC 5 Veterans Network is an employee resource group within NBC Universal — Adam Garcia, the son of former NBCU member Cynthia Garcia, was mortally wounded in Iraq in 2006 and is buried at DFW National Cemetery. Each year, VetNet members volunteer to lay wreaths in the section where Garcia is buried.