As Ron Clark of Orem put it, "This is where part of the mortality rests, but the spirit is thriving."

Local families began arriving at the Provo Cemetery in early afternoon on Christmas Eve day, coming to pay homage -- as part of their Christmas celebrations -- to their beloved now gone. Thousands of local families were expected to spend a few minutes at their local cemeteries before the night was out.

Ron Clark arrived at the Provo Cemetery to visit the grave of his mother, Vera Brereton Clark, around 1 p.m. He used a car snow scraper to clear her grave and the graves of other family members before placing Christmas wreaths.

"This is one of her favorite times of year," he said of his mother. "We'll be back tonight to bring lighted candles."

Coming here on Christmas Eve is a gesture meant to let his mother, and his family, know, "I love her and still think of her."

This Christmas is the fifth since his mother's death and "it never gets easier," he said.

Visiting the grave of her father and other family members, Teri Collins Martin of Salt Lake City immediately began to weep when asked about her reasons for her Christmas Eve tradition.

"It's just hard," she said, noting that her father, W. Kay Collins, passed away four years ago. "It's how I feel closest to them."

Martin said visiting the cemetery on Christmas Eve is something she has done for 25 years, since her grandfather passed away. It is an especially important time because of her memories of the way her father and grandparents made the holidays special for her as a child.

"My dad represents Santa to me," she said with emotion.

She left a Santa figurine on her father's grave. Her husband, Tom Martin, cleared snow from her family's graves as a gesture of respect.

Lori Millet Dwyer of Cedar Fort visited the grave of her mother, Johanna Millet, on the afternoon of Christmas Eve day, also in the Provo Cemetery. "It's hard not to have her here," she said.

"It's a sense of peace and knowing her mother is proud of her," said Connie Nelson, who came with Millet. Nelson was Johanna Millet's best friend, and said she came to the cemetery not only to honor the memory of her friend, but to support Lori Millet as she visited her mother's grave.

"I love Lori," she said. "She is like our daughter. I want Johanna to know we love her too, but we are here more for the living."

Thousands of people in Utah Valley now light candles in cemeteries from Goshen to Alpine on Christmas Eve. The informal memorial event was started by Brent and Reta Tischner of Salem about a decade ago to honor a son who died about 25 years ago of a heart defect, and a grandson who died about eight years ago.

"It is just a tender night, and it enhances Christmas Eve for all of us," said Reta Tischner in a recent interview. "It adds beauty to the night."