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Last Friday Redmond-based Smart Cremation (the same company that, last February, was offering "green benefits such as carbon offsets and enhanced emissions controls" with its cremation packages) announced that it had teamed up with Amazon.com to offer a special holiday season discount on its cremation packages. As we no Amazon.com is no stranger to the funeral business, they have been selling Caskets and Urns for a few years now, but apparently they felt (after much press) that offering "Christmas Cremation Deals" just wasn't their thing. Read the full story below.

Giving the gift of cremation for Christmas had never been easier. That was, however, until Amazon decided to make it hard again.

On Friday, Redmond-based Smart Cremation (the same company that, last February, was offering "green benefits such as carbon offsets and enhanced emissions controls" with its cremation packages) announced that it had teamed up with Amazon.com to offer a special holiday season discount on its cremation packages.

Two deals were pitched in the ads, one for $1,189 and another for $1,588.

Jill Larson, Smart Cremation's senior vice president, had posted a statement on the sale, which read:

"This is the time of year that people get very emotional and want to make sure their families stay connected as a unit. Every year at this time more and more potential customers want to buy a pre-need plan for themselves or for their entire family. While being cremated is much less expensive than a land burial, it still is a financial investment. The new discounted prices can't be beat. Everyone who wanted to buy a cremation plan but was hesitant will now have the opportunity to do so."

The news was picked up by numerous local and national publications and blogs.

But by 4 p.m. on Monday, that listing, and indeed all mention of Smart Cremation, was gone from Amazon.

Amazon has refused multiple requests for comment on why the listing was pulled, and Larson tells Seattle Weekly that she had no idea the listing was gone until I told her.

At any rate, folks interested in giving corpse-incineration-related gifts this holiday season are encouraged to consider this attractive Barack Obama urn instead.

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