My mother has threatened to haunt me for the rest of my life if I do not have her cremated.

Am I the only sucker who starts crying at the end of Love, Actually no matter how many times I see it? Man am I a sap.

Note to Self: Watching sweet, sappy movie that begins and ends in airports is not a good idea the same day that ND leaves.

Many years ago, Comedy Central had some show (I forgot what), where the promos would say, "We've got every comedian and their mother here on Comedy Central." So the promos, of course, featured various comedians and their mothers. The two would sit (or whatever) together and the comedian would tell a joke.

So one comedian says, "When I die, I want to be cremated and have my ashes scattered around my parents' living room. So my mom will have to clean up after me one last time."

You could tell the guy's mom had no idea he was gonna say that, and she was genuinely appalled. She said, "That's terrible!"

So, I guess YMdefinitelyV in this instance.

I'm sure that my age and lack of understanding that an embalmed person would feel much different than a live person, had/has quite a bit to do with my stance.

I've hugged many loved ones that had recently passed - usually while they were in a hospital bed - and that definitely helped me in my time of grief, so I get the touching thing. So perhaps I just don't recommend touching without knowing that they won't feel the way they used to before they'd been to the morgue.

As for my dead self, donate what can be donated and then cremated. 'Cause I just *know* that if I were buried, some moron would build houses over the cemetary I'm in and one day my skeleton would be popping out of the ground of someone's future pool site. That'd be my luck.

Mother has mainly threatened to haunt us if anyone even considers "Nearer My God to Thee" in the music selections.

Outside of the sobfest that is "The Body," the only thing that reliably break me up is when Harry Bailey says "To my big brother George, the richest man in town."

Bwah! That is great Tom. I am totally using that on my mom next time the subject comes up. (blessed to have mom with sense of humor)

'Cause I just *know* that if I were buried, some moron would build houses over the cemetary I'm in and one day my skeleton would be popping out of the ground of someone's future pool site. That'd be my luck.

In that case, going on a zombie rampage would be totally justified.

Go with it! Have a great time!

Speaking of - I do not recommend touching the person in the casket. For any reason. Don't do it.

YMMV, but at my father's funeral, my mother kissed him, then looked at my oldest sister and I expectantly. My sister just shook her head and pulled us both away. I'd told her earlier than nothing on the face the planet would get me touch Daddy, and she'd agreed to back up on it.

I suspect other people are made of sterner stuff than I am.

Hey, at least I'll be a lot thinner!

If things were to go the way of Poltergeist, it's good to know there's still a bright side.

I haven't kissed my beloved deceased. Again, this is so very YMMV, but the times I have been with the remains, my loved one wasn't there. I held and kissed them in my memory where they lived.