Santa Claus isn’t much associated with crematoria, but he had a starring role in the funeral of 87-year-old Walter Hatton, as did his reindeer and elves.
As Hatton neared the end of his life, and before illness incapacitated him, he made an appointment with celebrant Roxanne Cawdron, who owns Roxanne Angelique Ceremonies, to outline exactly what he wanted for his spectacular send-off. He’d already had frank discussions with his family, and was adamant that he wanted a Christmas-themed funeral regardless of when it took place. In fact, if it wasn’t at Christmas, so much the better.
“He was a good humoured, genuine gentleman and Christmas was his favourite time of the year. He also knew the theme would help to lighten the load for his family, bringing a smile to their faces at what would be a sad time,” Cawdron recalls.
It certainly did.
Colchester Funeralcare, which organised the occasion, pulled out the stops and, in the middle of a July heatwave, funeral professionals attended the service decked out as Christmas characters. The pallbearers were reindeer and elves, the funeral director was Father Christmas, and the mourners were encouraged to don their Yuletide finest so, despite the sweltering temperatures, Christmas jumpers were in evidence. There were Christmas wreaths instead of funeral flowers, fairy lights, a Christmas tree with presents, and seasonal music.
With the help of Hatton’s family, Cawdron wrote a eulogy that made reference to the sentiments expressed in Raymond Briggs’ The Snowman – a perennial Christmas favourite – and how it teaches us about death and loss.
“It allowed the family to bring a bit of Walter’s character into the grieving process as they acknowledged their loss and prepared to say goodbye,” Cawdron says. “As a celebrant, I try to bring the humanness back into end-of-life moments to allow us to better process, heal, and honour those we have lost. I love empowering my clients to do things their way, in whatever capacity. Not only is it my professional obligation to be completely flexible and open to ideas that families present, but it’s also my moral obligation to let any preconceptions or expectations flow clear from my judgement.”
