One difference is in the balance or proportions between the “Hey, it’s a holiday! Stores should have sales! Let’s go have a picnic!” aspect, and the comparatively somber commemorative and remembrance aspect — the “memorial” part.
From maggiethecartoonist we have this Real Life Adventures, which takes a focus on the holiday picnic (or rather, barbecue) aspect.
On the Remembrance side of things, another regular reader suggests this one:
… and provides a reminder that it has previously been the subject of a CIDU post and discussion.
Joe Heller seems drawn to combining the two aspects in one editorial-type cartoon:
Comics I Don't Understand 
I don’t know, how do you read those Heller editorials? Is it a good-natured reminder that we can do both, the fun and the remembrance? Or do you share my unease that it’s approaching a finger-wagging lecture?
Well, I don’t know either, Dana!
But my particular hobby-horse about this is already given in the post title. Since the November holiday which in the U.S. has been designated as Veterans Day is explicitly for honoring the military, we needn’t similarly narrow Memorial Day. And instead can use it to commemorate all those who have been killed or suffered in war and conflict — which includes a vast number of civilians.
I thought the Heller editorials were well-balanced enough.
Here’s a Memorial Day comic published today:
Memorial Day is for those who died in the military. Veteran’s Day is for those who were in the military but did not die. Armed Forces Day is for those who are still in the military.
I prefer Armistice Day, which was for everyone who was thankful that the hideous mess was finally over. However, given that the “War to End All Wars” never did that, I suppose it was inevitable that they would rename its end.
The message I am getting from all the tributes, e.g. “They died so that we could be free,” is that in order to have freedom you must have war, over and over and often.
We used to spend our Memorial Day weekends in D.C. visiting the monuments and memorials to remember those who died in our wars. We were once stopped by a reporter who asked why we were in there and we gave him basically this description as an answer – he seemed shocked by the answer and pulled the paper with our answers and moved it further down his pile – never been sure if he did that with all answers or because of what we answered. We would also go to the Concert at the Capitol for same. (And did manage to fit in stops at Smithsonian buildings.)
When we had bed bugs we stopped staying at hotels when we travel. To deal with this we bought a Class B RV – aka Chevy van with roof lifted and tiny kitchen, toilet and bed added – extremely “cozy”. Have not otherwise traveled either since late 2019 due to Covid concerns. (Hope to travel this year) Unfortunately we have not been able to find a place to park our RV in the DC area with access to a Metro station. He suffers from motion sickness – no buses and barely can deal with the short Metro ride (I also suffer from HIS motion sickness). He cannot ride if I am (or anyone else is) driving the car/van/RV we are in – and I am the far better driver (which he readily admits – had me drive the RV home from dealer in PA as he was too nervous to do so – so he drove our car home).
So we have been watching the concert on TV since then. I did offer to watch it sitting on the floor in the living room on pieces of bad baby quilt fabric (which is what we would normally bring with us) and watch it on his (relatively small) “big” TV so we would looking up as we would at the concert.