What Should You Give Someone Who Has Lost A Loved One

Losing a loved one can cause tremendous grief that can take a very long time to heal. Death is an eventuality, but it leaves a trail of pain and anguish when it strikes. To cushion the pain, friends, and we-wishers often rally around to comfort mourners in any way they can. One such way is to offer them gifts to inspire and comfort them. Although gifts are normally given to people to celebrate a milestone, they can also be given to grieving people; such gifts are called sympathy gifts.

Is It Right To Offer Gifts To Mourners?

There’s nothing wrong with offering a sympathy gift to mourners. In fact, this is a normal act of expression in many cultures. When a family losses a loved one, friends and well-wishers visit their home bearing gifts which can be anything ranging from food items to clothes, furniture, or anything of value. This practice may not be as prevalent in many Western cultures, but it is still practiced by many.

When you offer a sympathy gift, you are simply expressing moral and emotional support. The recipient will appreciate your action and will feel loved and honored by it. However, the gift you offer should reflect the occasion; it has to be something with sentimental value that the mourning party can relate to. Secondly, your relationship with the recipient or the deceased also matters. If you are not very close to them, you should avoid giving them a sympathy gift or certain items, as that will be inappropriate.

4 Unique And Thoughtful Gift Ideas For Someone Who Has Lost A Loved One

As we pointed out in a previous paragraph, when planning a sympathy gift,  the kind of gift you offer should reflect the occasion. Here are some unique and thoughtful ideas you should consider.

Name A Star In Their Honor

One of the most unconventional sympathy gifts you will ever give is also one with the most sentimental value, which is naming a star. Stars hold a special place in many cultures and religions. Even non religious people still attach great significance to them. When you name a star in honor of the deceased, you are simply telling their loved ones that even though they are dead, they will never be forgotten.

You can name a star by contacting a star naming registry that offers these sympathy gift packages. You get to pick a star, and they will name it and issue a certificate bearing the name of the deceased. This certificate is what you will offer to the recipient as a gift. 

Bird Feeder

A bird feeder is another very good sympathy gift to offer to a mourner. This sympathy is ideal if the recipient or the deceased loved birds. The great thing about bird feeders is that you can hang them in any of the outdoor parts of the house. For more value, you can personalize it by having the name of the deceased on the feeder. If you include a touching message or their favorite quote, the better. Anytime birds come around to feed from the feeder, they will remember their loved ones and the life they lived. Furthermore, the message a feeder sends is very clear. “That even in death, they still have a place in this world by constantly contributing to nature.”

3D Card

Another very good sympathy gift is a 3D card. The one you pick may have a message that symbolizes hope and sorrow; sorrow that the deceased is gone but hope that they are in a better place. The card may have a very bold image that glitters with words that convey whatever message you want. This card can be hung in any part of the room or kept on a window sill or wardrobe. Luckily for you, there are different 3D card designs to pick from, so you have unlimited options.

A Wind Chime

Last but not least on our list of unique and thoughtful sympathy gift ideas is a wind chime. Personalized wind chimes are just like star naming because they have sentimental value if they carry the name of a dead person, but why so?

Any time the wind blows, the chime will make a sound that has a calming effect on the senses. When occupants of the house hear that sound, it will have a calming effect on them, and they will remember their dearly departed. But if you must go for this option, make sure the chime is personalized with the name of the deceased and with attractive color and shape. A heart or star shape is not a bad idea, or you may opt for a rainbow-shaped wind chime.

There are loads of unique and thoughtful sympathy gifts you can buy for a friend mourning the death of a loved one, but the options reviewed in this article are some of the most popular ones.