He hung Christmas decorations in a London studio in August. He played every part himself, with two or three fingers. He gave the money away. And he died on Christmas Day.

His song never hit number one while he was alive.

Tonight on The Mortals, a licensed funeral director tells the story behind "Last Christmas," and what the word "last" means to every family he ever sat with in December. Nobody knows it's the last one while it's happening.

We also get into whether it's okay to skip Christmas the first year after a loss, setting their place at the table, why kids belong at the funeral home, and doing the work anyway, even when you never get to see it land.

My version of "Last Christmas" comes out Thursday, Nov 5: https://nathanmorrismusic.com

If tonight is heavy, call or text 988. Someone is there.

What's one small thing you remember from a last Christmas with someone? Tell me in the comments.

CHAPTERS
0:00 Welcome to The Mortals Live
1:18 Christmas trees in November
2:50 George Michael died on Christmas Day
4:39 February 1984: a melody in his childhood bedroom
6:55 Tinsel in August, played with two or three fingers
8:19 Setting the room before the family walks in
9:32 Beat by Band Aid, then he gave the money away
11:45 When someone dies on a holiday, the family loses the day
13:30 Number one 36 years later: what legacy is
14:54 The last Christmas nobody knew was the last
18:22 Most of the good we do, we never see land
21:39 My version of Last Christmas and the hearse cover
24:05 Call your people in November
26:03 Why Christmas music keeps coming back
29:46 Christmas songs born from grief
31:12 Ornaments, empty chairs and skipping Christmas
33:28 Bring the kids to the funeral home
40:13 Do the thing. Do it anyway.

The Mortals Live. Every Tuesday, 7pm ET.

👔 OOTD and the link. Tonight, I'm wearing: https://shopltk.com/explore/nathanmorris
Far less professional than usual, by my own admission.

#TheMortals #LastChristmas #GeorgeMichael #Grief #FuneralDirector

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Last week's show was rough. I fumbled. A lot.

This week I figured out why. I overthought it. Weeks of treating my content like a math problem made it stiff and careful. My content got buns. Polished falls flat.

I learned the fix in the funeral home years ago. When a family plans a service, they bring two kinds of pictures. The church directory photo. And the shoebox. People always stand in front of the shoebox.

We also talked about The Comeback Room. I'm going to ask artists about the night they almost quit. First up is Julia Cole, night one of her Love You To Death Tour at Headliners in Louisville.

Your homework: send the ugly text. The one you've rewritten nine times.

Who's in your shoebox photo?

If today feels heavy, call or text 988. Someone's there.

The Mortals is live every Tuesday at 7pm ET on YouTube @nathanmorrismusic.

Join The Mortals, my supporter community: https://nathanmorrismusic.com/supporters
Feel Anything, my weekly email: https://nathanmorrismusic.beehiiv.com
Free Funeral Song Guide: https://nathanmorrismusic.com/funeral-songs

More than 300 booths on the funeral convention floor this week. Not one of them sells the 2am phone call.

The NFDA convention is in Charlotte right now, and the closing keynote is called 28,000 Days. So tonight I said the things that don't get said out loud on that floor. With respect. I love this work.

The Funeral Rule only requires a written price list when you walk in the door. The FTC called funeral homes undercover, and after hours a lot of callers couldn't get a price at all. A family on the phone at 9 at night shouldn't have to call three times. Post your prices.

We also get into what's actually required (your own casket, embalming, vaults), why no cremation family should ever say "we're just doing cremation," why funeral directors need permission to go home, and why this profession fights change so hard.

If tonight is heavy, call or text 988. Someone's there.

What's one thing you're going to stop wasting time on? Tell me in the comments.

CHAPTERS
0:00 Welcome to The Mortals Live
3:43 The funeral convention is happening right now
6:46 The Funeral Rule has a catch
8:06 The FTC called funeral homes undercover
9:25 My take: post your prices
10:16 Your own casket, embalming, vaults: what's required
12:14 Retire the word "just" for cremation
14:57 No booth sells the 2am phone call
16:38 Backstage with a cop who found standup
19:42 28,000 days: go to the visitation
24:58 Skip Thanksgiving? And the holiday death calls
28:18 Funeral directors need permission to rest
29:23 Why funeral service fights change
39:52 Words matter: "remains" is somebody's dad
47:49 Families are online. Show up there.
59:29 Bitter or better after loss
1:03:33 Starting over and doing the thing
1:10:19 A beautiful funeral needs a beautiful song

The Mortals Live. Every Tuesday, 7pm ET.

👔 OOTD and the link. Tonight, I'm wearing: https://shopltk.com/explore/nathanmorris
Sweaty hoodie edition. Moving a whole studio will do that.

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⭐ Members-only content: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0rrl2tcQlqgkkQgMR9f_0w/join
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📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NathanMorrisMusic
TikTok: @nathanmorrismusic
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X: @nathanmorris