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Merry Christmas and Warm Wishes from ASD

As we welcome Christmastime here at ASD, we wish you and your family the same excitement and joy we feel during this time of year. Christmas is a time of giving and we’d like to give you a huge thanks for being our valued clients. We hope you enjoy a well-deserved rest this Christmas and extend our best wishes for a happy holiday season!

Funeral directors have been described as the unsung heroes of the holidays. Truly, we could not think of a more fitting title for such a dedicated group of people who extend themselves more to their profession than all of Santa’s elves combined. Deathcare professionals are busy all year long, but during the holiday season, a spike in the death rate is coupled with heightened emotional responses from grieving relatives. Funeral directors have many added responsibilities this time of year and even less time than usual to complete tasks. Despite these challenges, many go above and beyond to make the holidays brighter for those in their community.

There are many different ways a funeral home can offer their help to others during the holidays. Sending a heartfelt letter can help bereaved family members feel less isolated in their grief. Displaying colorful decorations and twinkling lights will remind families that a funeral home is a welcoming haven they can visit anytime they need support and a friendly conversation. Hosting a fun holiday event, concert or inviting Santa for a visit encourages the public to socialize at the funeral home, which creates an atmosphere of positive associations where families can feel comfortable sharing stories and reflecting on the past. For other funeral homes, Christmas is a time to encourage generosity within the community by inspiring others to make donations to an important cause or participate in a charity event.

For decades, funeral homes have held holiday remembrance services inviting families that have lost a loved one the previous year to come together. Whether they come to hear their loved one’s name read aloud or to place a memorial ornament on a remembrance tree, that acknowledgment is no small thing. It means the world to so many people who often feel invisible this time of year. We know firsthand how important these events are because there is not a single day in December our Call Specialists don’t speak to a family member inquiring about a funeral home’s holiday service or tradition.

Recently, we put together a blog that spotlights some inspiring examples of funeral homes going the extra mile to make the holidays more meaningful for their community. We know our just scratches the surface of all the events and heartfelt traditions happening at funeral homes across the country this month.


We’ll Be Here For Christmas, You Can Count On Us

ASD understands that being on call on Christmas is a reality for many funeral directors. We realize that the time you have with your family is often interrupted so you can help others in their time of need. But just because you must be available at all times does not mean you should have to be interrupted with every incoming call your funeral home receives on such an important day. As usual, ASD will have staff available 24-hours a day to assist you. We can screen your calls according to your specific preferences and contact you only if a death or urgent situation occurs. With the upcoming holiday approaching, our goal is to provide you with the peace of mind you need to spend this special time with friends and family.

The days of feeling caged by your phone lines during the Christmas season are over. ASD is here to set you free.

With so much on your plate, it can be a challenge to carve out time to spend with your loved ones enjoying holiday traditions like baking, shopping for gifts and watching Christmas classics. Here at ASD, our goal is to provide you with the peace of mind you need to spend this special time with friends and family. Let us give you the gift of more freedom this holiday season. Click on the image below for some of our tips for helping you enjoy this magical time without interruption.

At ASD, we don’t start talking about Christmas a week or two before the day arrives…we begin looking ahead more than a month in advance. With responsive plans and a close eye on the upcoming schedule, we can forecast well ahead of every holiday to provide the most consistent and reliable service available. Christmas, New Years Day and the entire holiday season is fully staffed with back up support so you can enjoy those days knowing that your phones are protected. Our employees are committed to working on the holidays, which is why last year on Christmas Day we answered 95 percent of all calls on the first ring and 98 percent by the fourth ring. Every year, we create a special holiday schedule that includes all of our Call Specialists. While our operators work shorter shifts, scheduling everyone increases the overlap of employees to ensure our office is never under staffed.

We understand holidays may impact how you respond to your messages. Our custom-built systems allow us to update your ASD account based on your needs any time, day or night. Please let us know if you have any special On-Call schedules for the upcoming holidays. We have systems in place to assure you are only being contacted for messages of the utmost importance to you.

These calls include:

► Death Calls Prearrangements & Pricing
► Families calling regarding current services
► Near Death situations
► Calls from other Funeral Homes
► Anyone requesting an immediate call back

If you would like to be called ONLY for the situations listed above, please advise our Call Specialist when checking out that you should be reached for CODE YELLOW calls. All other calls will be available via the website, mobile app & voicemail system. If you have any questions or would like to customize your holiday instructions, please contact ASD Supervision 24/7 at 800-868-9950, fax instructions to 800-595-3956 or email solutions@myASD.com. You can also click here to learn more about the different checkout options we provide to meet your changing needs.


Supporting Families Who Are Having a Blue Christmas

If 2020 was a year to bring us to our lowest point, then 2021 was the year for helping one another face a new reality. For thousands of families across the country, that new reality is made all the more stark during the holidays by empty chairs and unhung stockings. Many are struggling to cope with recent losses and may need a lot of extra love this year. To help support families who may need guidance for getting through the holidays, we have included a few helpful articles and lists below we think are worth sharing with grieving families:

Whats Your Grief: 64 Tips for Coping with Grief at the Holidays
Denver Post: Lonely but Not Alone: Dealing with Grief During the Holidays
Refuge in Grief: Those Terrible Holidays
Good Housekeeping: How I’m Remembering Lost Loved Ones This Holiday
Cake: 27 Quotes About Grief & the Holiday Season

We love this infographic from Refuge in Grief  illustrating some helpful ways to manage grief during the holiday season.


Looking for the Perfect Gift For The Funeral Director In Your Life? We’ve Got You Covered

To kickoff the Christmas season, we’ve compiled this list of unique and distinctive gifts we think most funeral professionals would appreciate. There aren’t a lot of novelty gifts created for funeral professionals, so we went to work scouring the web to find the coolest funeral-related products. We’ve updated our list for 2022 to replace out-of-stock items with brand new gift ideas you can get for the funeral director in your life. While some of these products are meant to bring laughter, others are thoughtful items you can give to show a director how much you appreciate them. Whether you’re shopping for your spouse, parent, sibling, or a co-worker, we have no doubt you’ll find something special on this list for the funeral director in your life.

Click here for our gift guide


Team ASD Christmas Luncheon

Last week, ASD held our Annual Christmas Luncheon to bring together our longtime staff to celebrate the holiday season. Our HR superstars, Renee Mancer and TJ Hopson, pulled out all the stops with a special surprise that made this year’s festivities unforgettable.  From carefully curated raffle items to fun activities, every detail was crafted to perfection.  The Plinko board and Cornhole games added an extra dose of excitement, giving our employees the chance to score more raffle tickets and amp up the fun factor! As we gathered, laughter echoed, connections were rekindled, and memories were made. Our owners shared inspiring words about overcoming challenges in 2023 and setting our sights on exciting goals for 2024. Cheers to a fantastic celebration and looking forward to an even brighter year ahead! (Special thanks to our Call Specialists and Assistant Supervisors for their dedication in helping to ensure all calls are answered without delay during our Christmas Luncheon).

Click here to see more photos from our Christmas Luncheon.


Funeral Homes Deck the Halls

It was love at frost sight when we saw these photos of funeral homes all decked out for the holiday season. When it comes to decorating for Christmas, these guys are sleigh-in it! TOP ROW: Chiampa Funeral in Shrewsbury, MA & Hanneman Funeral Home in Bowling Green OH. MIDDLE ROW: Traunero Funeral Home in Tiffin, OH, Ogle and Paul R Young Funeral Home in Oxford, OH & F. Ruggerio and Sons Funeral Home in Yonkers, NY. BOTTOM ROW: Mayhew-Brown Funeral Home in Jackson, OH & Mountain View Funeral Home & Cemetery in Mesa, AZ.


12 Days of Christmas: Funeral Home Remix

We rewrote the “12 Days of Christmas” to apply to a typical day in the life of a funeral director. Hope you enjoy!


ASD’s #FuneralDirectorFacts Holiday Image Shared More than 300,000 times on Social Media

An information graphic created by ASD has certainly struck a cord with thousands of funeral directors on social media. The image was created to spotlight the sacrifices made by funeral directors who work on-call during holidays to provide support to their communities. Many people outside of the profession are unaware of the many ways funeral professionals devote themselves to others. ASD shares #FuneralDirectorFacts to help educate others about the dedication of directors. Each fact focuses on a different way funeral directors go beyond the call of duty to serve families.

With Christmas approaching, many funeral directors are prepared to miss holiday celebrations at home if a family in need requires their services. ASD wanted to highlight this sacrifice and create an information graphic that funeral directors could feel proud to share. We are thrilled that so many funeral professionals have related to our #FuneralDirectorFacts. The graphic has now been shared online more than 250,000 times! Watching a positive funeral director image go viral is a thrill for us at ASD.


From everyone here at ASD, we extend to you our blessings for a joyous Christmas and prosperous New Year! We hope you enjoy every magical moment of the holiday season with confidence knowing your phones are always protected. Please don’t hesitate to let us know if there is anything we can do to make the holidays brighter for you and your family. Our supervisors are available 24/7 to make any changes or updates.

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