The Vancouver Police Museum and Archives are offering up a very unexpected gift idea.
Adopting a museum morgue drawer.
The adoption comes with perks, like putting a name on the drawer, a toe tag for the recipient, and a (mock) death certificate (which includes a cause of death).
"You also get to choose your cause of death,"Christie Strauss, Executive Director of the Vancouver Police Museum and Archives (VPM), tells V.I.A. "We have a list of pre-suggested causes, but you can create one as long as it's not too salacious and reasonably short."
Suggested causes include "hit the big red button," "smothered by puppies," and "declined an offer they should not have refused."
Morgue drawer history
The VPM has a bank of 15 drawers in the autopsy suite. One is forever open for people to peek into, but the other 14 are available to adopt annually for $225.
And they're absolutely authentic
"The morgue drawers are historic drawers, for a lack of a better term, that were used when the building was a working coroners office," says Strauss.
Vancouver coroner's office was located at 240 E Cordova St. from 1932 to 1984; the drawers were installed in the 1940s. The VPM took over the space in 1986.
Strauss estimates that 20,000 bodies spent time on slabs in the 15 drawers, including actor Errol Flynn. Strauss says it's not clear which drawer he was in, but believes it was one of four that could be locked (to keep people from peeking in).
Three special morgue drawers were built to house remains of important murder cases or more decomposed remains, which could be turned down to -50 C.
"They're a really morbid but fascinating part of the building's history," says Strauss. "People are curious about death investigations."
The adoption process, or how to get your very own morgue drawer
The drawers have always been on display. They're a centrepiece of the autopsy suite.
However, the adoption program is new; it only started in 2023 as a way for the museum to raise funds. Adoption lasts 12 months, and includes a name on the drawer (it can be the gift recipient or a pseudonym).
"You can buy a star as a gift, or a piece of land in Scotland, so why not have a morgue drawer," says Strauss.
The recipient will also get an accurate toe tag that can be put under the tree (or hung on it) and the aforementioned death certificate. A 12-month membership is also part of it, so one can go visit their morgue drawer; membership also comes with other perks.
Strauss says there are currently three drawers that have been adopted, so 11 are still open to anyone looking for an unusual Christmas gift.
She notes that the drawers aren't for everyone.
"We recognize that the holiday season is often the hardest for those who have lost loved ones," she tells V.I.A. "We do not intend for this to be making light of people's loss and grief but a way for people to face mortality and death with a little light heartedness and absurdity."
For those interested, she says Dec. 20 is the last day they can set it up as a gift for giving on the 25th. Given the postal strike, she adds that people should visit the museum to set things up. There's also a short form to fill out.
No, you can't get in one
The morgue drawers are nearly 90 years old, and while they're cared for, they might not be structurally sound.
"We can't guarantee it's going to hold someone's weight," says Strauss. "And while we have plenty of ghosts here, I don't need to add another one."
