Way back in 1970, The New York Times published an article about how cremation was “gaining favor” throughout the U.S. They did this in spite of the fact that only about 4.5% of people were being cremated at that time.
The New York Times may have jumped the gun just a little with regard to how quickly the cremation craze would explode in this country. But just over 50 years later, the newspaper proved to be right. Today, around 55% of people are being cremated.
So, how did this happen? Well, the benefits of cremation simply cannot be understated. People have come to appreciate all the benefits that they’re able to enjoy when they choose cremation for a loved one over a burial.
Today, we’re going to break down some of the biggest cremation benefits to show you why so many families select cremation services when making funeral arrangements for their loved ones. Learn more about these benefits below.
Cremation Is Easier to Plan Than a Burial
In the immediate aftermath of a loved one’s death, the average family will need to start making funeral-related decisions almost right away if they plan on burying them. It isn’t uncommon at all for families to have to make up to 75 or even 100 decisions within the first 24 to 48 hours of a loved one’s death.
As you might imagine, this can take a toll on a family. They’ll have to put whatever emotions they’re experiencing to the side for the time being to make decisions on everything from where they’ll hold a funeral for a loved one to where they’ll bury them. It can be overwhelming, to say the least!
One of the biggest benefits of cremation is that you and your family won’t have to worry about making too many decisions before cremating a loved one. You’ll quickly discover that planning cremation services will be much easier than planning a burial.
As a result, your family will be able to focus more on mourning the loss of your loved one versus trying to scramble to make their funeral arrangements without being able to process the grief that you’ll be feeling.
Cremation Is Quicker Than a Burial
If your family decides that you would like to hold a cremation for a loved one as opposed to a burial, you aren’t going to be able to cremate them the day after they die. In Texas, there is a mandatory 48-hour waiting period between when a person dies and when they can be cremated.
But generally speaking, you’re still going to be able to conduct a cremation for a loved one so much sooner than you would be able to bury a loved one in most cases. It’ll take many families more than 48 hours to put the finishing touches on their loved one’s funeral plans when they’re going to be burying their loved ones, much less carrying these plans out.
This is yet another one of the benefits of cremation that families have come to love so much. If your family is in a hurry to cremate a loved one, you’ll be able to plan out a cremation for them and have them cremated fast.
You can, of course, take your time when cremating a loved one if you would like. But if your family wants to cremate a loved one quickly, you’ll like knowing that you have the option to do it.
Cremation Costs Less Than a Burial
Is your family going to be on a tight budget when planning a funeral for a loved one? This is one more area in which the benefits of cremation outweigh the benefits of a burial.
The average cremation is going to cost your family somewhere between $1,000 and $2,500. You might have to spend a little bit more than that if you would like to work a funeral, a memorial service, or a life celebration into the mix. But even still, you should find that cremation services shouldn’t break the $10,000 mark.
Burying a loved one, on the other hand, is almost always going to cost your family a pretty penny. It isn’t uncommon at all for the price of a casket to be more expensive than an entire cremation.
You and your family shouldn’t have to worry too much about going into any debt when you’re planning cremation services for a loved one. The total cost of cremation should come in at just a fraction of what a burial would.
Just be sure you work with the right cremation provider to get access to the best cremation prices around.
Cremation Is Better for the Environment Than a Burial
There is still some debate going on about whether cremation services are as “green” as people have always claimed they are. But there is no denying that cremating a loved one should be better for the environment than burying them would be.
For starters, your family is probably going to want to have a loved one embalmed before their burial if you choose to go in that direction. Embalming your loved one will help preserve their body for a longer stretch of time so that you can have a viewing for them and a traditional funeral prior to laying them to rest.
Embalming a loved one’s body will involve filling it with harmful chemicals that could seep into the soil in a cemetery once your loved one is buried. This obviously won’t be something that will happen when you have your loved one cremated.
Additionally, burying a loved one’s body in a cemetery is going to take up valuable space. This is another thing that won’t happen when you cremate a loved one’s body. It’s why cremation is typically viewed as the “greener” option when compared to burial.
Cremation Is More Flexible Than a Burial
Burying a loved one isn’t going to provide your family with very much flexibility at all. From the second that you find out your loved one has died, you’re going to have to make a mad dash to have them buried as soon as you possibly can.
Cremating a loved one, meanwhile, will give you more flexibility when it comes to holding cremation services for them. You can have them cremated immediately if you would like, or you can take your time and calculate your next moves before taking any action.
You’ll also find that cremating a loved one will give you so many more options as far as what you can do with their remains once you receive them. You’ll have a handful of options available to you. You can choose to:
- Bring your loved one’s remains home with you and put them on display in an urn in a special spot in your house
- Bury your loved one’s remains in a cemetery
- Store your loved one’s remains in a cremation niche
- Scatter your loved one’s remains in a place that was significant to them
- Divide your loved one’s remains up and send them home with different family members
- Place your loved one’s remains into different cremation jewelry pieces
As you can see, the options are going to be virtually limitless when you cremate a loved one. Families love that they get to take control of the situation and decide what to do with a loved one’s remains.
Cremation Is On Par With a Burial When It Comes to Religious Beliefs
For a long time, burial services had one big advantage over cremation services. Most religions preferred for people to choose burials over cremations with some religions going as far as to outlaw cremation as an option altogether.
Judaism, Islam, and a few other religions still forbid families from cremating their loved ones. But for the most part, religions have come around to accepting cremation and have put certain guidelines into place for families who wish to cremate their loved ones.
By doing this, these religions have created another one of the most important benefits of cremation. You won’t have to be concerned about going against your religious beliefs when you decide to cremate a loved one rather than bury them.
Contact Us to Take Advantage of the Benefits of Cremation
After hearing about all the benefits of cremation, it shouldn’t be too hard for you to figure out why more than 50% of people are being cremated nowadays. Cremation has turned into the superior option for so many families all across the country.
Would you like to enjoy the benefits of cremation by planning cremation services for a loved one in the Dallas Fort Worth Metro Area? We would love to get the opportunity to lend a hand to you.
Reach out to us today to see how we can be of assistance.
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