If you are scratching your head over a Christmas gift, why not give a “pre-need” gift certificate from a local funeral home?
Has any place ever actually offered these? Would you be offended if you received one?
oh boy! i can’t wait to discuss this at the family get together later this week. this could be fun!
they could come in rather handy as the price of funeral are rather alarming.
It would only disturb me if it had an expiration date.
I wouldn’t be offended, but I don’t know if I’d want it as a Christmas present! We in the Salinqmind household are the types that hate loose ends (unpaid bill, no stamp for birthday card waiting to be mailed, emergency snowed-in-blizzard supplies of t.p., Diet Coke, ibuprofen, and can of hash lacking the can of hash). If the disposal of our mortal remains can be settled - all to the good!
I don’t think it would be what I wanted for Christmas, but the premise isn’t bad. Maybe for my birthday instead. Or anniversary! Nothing says “Honey I love you” like a gift card for death.
Once upon a time, supposedly my dad had a job cold calling people to try and sell them a coffin to be all ready for them when they died.
I can think of harder things to try and sell (especially cold calling!), but it’s certainly near the top of the list.
A perfect gift for that special someone you’re meeting for the first time after connecting on match.com.
Sounds like a great gift to me. You can bet your last nickel it will get used.
“Well the coupon expires next week, and Gramps is stubbornly clinging on. I guess we’ll have to kill him.”
I would have no need for such an item. I bought and paid for my disposal when the time comes.
I can see something like this if there are no other arrangements that have been made and you’re 100% sure of their intentions. Otherwise, it strikes me as being as waste of money.
Robin
This sounds like a Mafia thing to me.
(but of course the Mafia doesn’t exist,its a media invention and I’ll kill you if you think otherwise)
You know a bit like receiving a wreath BEFORE you’re dead when you’ve pissed off the wrong legitimate Italian American businessman.
I worked in a funeral home once and some of the pre-need accounts were pre-paid, but always by a family member. In effect, it’s like a gift certificate.
I can see it (sort of) IF you knew it was actually weighing on somebody’s mind. I can imagine an elderly person on a fixed income fretting that they wanted to make “pre-need” arrangements but had no money to do so.
I would not do it as a Christmas present though, or a gift certificate. It would be a conversation. “Mom, you’ve mentioned a number of times that you’d like to make arrangements for your funeral, so Kelly and I have decided that we’d like to pay for it, is there a funeral home you had in mind, some friends have told us Very Caring Funeral Service is good?”
It would really depend on the relationship though. I think in most cases though, it would come across as “so die already!”