Soon, if they don't already, strings of green and red lights will adorn streetlights and houses. Wise men will appear on lawns along with nearby mangers, and Santa Claus will be crawling down a chimney near you.

As the holiday season nears, Christmas decorations seem to take over the landscape, with every square inch glistening and jolly. For the first time, even the headstones at the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery will join in the holiday cheer, if the Bismarck Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol has anything to do about it.

"That's our goal," said Maj. Sean Johnson, commander of the Bismarck squadron of the CAP.

The CAP has partnered with Wreaths Across America to help sponsor the placement of a holiday wreath at the headstone of every veteran interred at the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery. Though the Bismarck squadron of the CAP has worked with Wreaths Across America the previous two years, this will be the first year the groups attempt to place wreaths on the headstones of every grave.

Wreaths Across America began in 1992 when the Worcester Wreath Co. of Maine had excess wreaths as Christmas neared. Company president Morrill Worcester had visited Arlington National Cemetery as a child and remembered being moved by the experience. So, the wreaths were placed on headstones in an older portion of the cemetery.

Now, the program partners with the Civil Air Patrol and places wreaths at veterans cemeteries in every state.

In 2006 and 2007, the Bismarck squadron of the CAP placed wreaths representing each branch of the military at the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery. That will still be done, but this year the CAP also will be raising money to place individual wreaths, Johnson said.

It costs $15 to sponsor a wreath, and the CAPhopes individuals and businesses will step up to sponsor the decorations. Phil Miller, director of the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery, estimates that there will be 2,800 veterans interred at the cemetery by December, as well as about 1,000 spouses and dependents of veterans. Johnson said the CAP hopes to raise funds for all 3,800 wreaths.

"It's a big number," Johnson said. "It's worth doing, though."

Johnson hopes to turn the fundraising project around quickly - sponsorships must be turned in by Dec. 1. If not enough money is raised to place wreaths on every headstone, the CAP will place as many as they can. However, they hope that issue does not arise.

"Right now, we're not thinking about not getting it," Johnson said.

MDU Resources Foundation, the philanthropic arm of MDU Resources Group, already has put up $1,500 for the project, Johnson said.

"It made my day," he said. "It made my month."

The company also challenges other corporations in the area to do the same.

"We like to be involved in the community and we thought this was a great way to be involved and to remember our veterans," said Rita O'Neill, foundation manager.

On Dec. 13, ceremonies across the country will be held at the same time, 11 a.m. Central time, prior to the wreaths being placed. Johnson said the ceremony at the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery includes discussions about what veterans mean to the country and the presentation of wreaths for the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and Merchant Marines, and one honoring people who are prisoners of war or missing in action.

At the conclusion of the ceremony, people who attend will be asked to help place wreaths across the cemetery. Johnson said the ceremony can be a big deal for veterans' families, who may have a hard time during the holiday season.

"It is just an incredibly moving ceremony," he said.

(Reach reporter Jenny Michael at 250-8225 or jenny.michael@bismarcktribune.com.)

How to donate to Wreaths Across America

Anyone who wants to donate to the Civil Air Patrol and Wreaths Across America for the placement of wreaths at the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery can contact Maj. Sean Johnson at 391-5326 or wreathsforvets@yahoo.com.

Sponsoring a wreath costs $15. People also can choose to sponsor multiple wreaths. A family sponsorship of four wreaths costs $60, a small business sponsorship of 10 wreaths costs $150, and a corporate sponsorship of 100 wreaths costs $1,500. Donations also can be made by the dollar. For more information, visit www.wreaths-across-america.org.