If you’re recently lost a loved one or are considering planning your own funeral in advance, you likely already know that cremation services can be much more affordable than traditional burial services. For many people, the convenience, affordability, and options involved in the cremation process can make it the right choice for them. If you’re not sure whether to chose cremation for you or a loved one, read on to find out why more and more people are going with this end-of-life option.
Cost and Container Options
Growing in popularity, cremation is a great choice for people concerned about burial costs. A direct cremation can cost under $7,000 in the United States, where the average traditional funeral costs at least double that same price tag. For many, the cost is not the only reason to go with cremation. In fact, the best cremation services mean many options at an affordable price that could also mean reassurance for loved ones.
In the middle of a global pandemic, funeral homes in the U.S. are overwhelmed with doing their best to take care of the dead. Because different states and locations have different rules and regulations around restrictions, social distancing, and group gatherings, it’s making things complicated when someone dies of Covid-19 or for any other reason. For those without a plan, loved ones are left making difficult choices with regard to services. For many, the solution is having the body cremated, taking the remains to a loved one’s home in a beautiful urn, and planning a memorial service after the pandemic so all family and friends can gather safely.
Transportability and Green Options
Some people choose a cremation because it means they can bring their loved ones with them. Maybe the person who died loved travel. If they are cremated, family members can bring the remains on a variety of adventures. With new cremation jewelry where you can put your loved one’s ashes in a bracelet, necklace, or even watch, many people like the idea that they can keep their loved one with them wherever they go. Some people are even joining the growing trend of having ashes mixed into ink and having their beloved’s cremains tattooed into their skin.
If you’re someone who can’t imagine walking away from a grave or crypt, cremation may be a way to keep your loved one with you longer. From a quick visit to the primary walk-in care center in Staten Island, NY to a hike up Mount Washington in New Hampshire, cremation means more options when it comes to spending physical time with the remains.
For those who are concerned about the environment, another cremation option is water cremation. This option is different from the traditional cremation process done with flame. It leaves the ashes a bleached white color that resembles beach sand and is much less harmful to the environment. For someone who spent a lifetime worried about climate change or doing what they could to leave a low energy footprint, a greener cremation could be the best way to honor them. Ask your cremation provider for options. While water cremations are less common and more expensive, more and more states in the United States are beginning to add them to a wide range of cremation service options.
Convenience and Future Memorial Plans
As previously mentioned, the global pandemic has made gatherings for final goodbyes difficult. Many families are opting to have a private viewing before cremation services. This gives them a chance to visit their loved one before the cremation process begins. A great compromise in these unconventional times, the immediate family has that private service and later holds a public memorial with a spreading of the ashes.
Cremation offers convenience when it comes to future plans. Seeing as there’s no way to tell when the global pandemic will be entirely over, this option offers a way to preserve the body close to loved ones during their time of grief but still gives them a bigger plan to celebrate their loved one’s life down the road. For many families, the time between cremation and their future memorial service is a great time for planning to make the service all the more personal.
Maybe your deceased family member loved fashion and helped design a new wide calf flat boot or stylish poncho they were particularly proud of. With the extra time and after the initial stages of grief have passed, families can come up with ideas to celebrate that passion and those achievements. Perhaps they could ask everyone who attends to the funeral to come in calf boots or ponchos. They could create a theme around the service and even go with a favorite color or sports team. For as strange as it may seem, the reality is that the more personal a memorial service, the more memories everyone will have to carry into the future.
Spreading Ashes and Freedom
In the end, many people choose cremation simply because they view it as freedom. With their ashes scattered in a favorite place, in the water, or around a tree, they believe they’re freer. Whether you hope for cremation for yourself or are trying to decide for a loved one, there are no wrong answers. Doing whatever you need to get through these trying times or planning your own funeral the way you see fit is really what matters. Take a deep breath. Allow yourself to grieve. No matter what you decide, feel the best you can about your decision.
