Finding Gifts for Someone Who Lost a Loved One
Gift giving is, in many ways, an acquired skill that we learn through trial and error. While there are absolutely some people who are naturally skilled gift givers, giving the perfect gift is actually more simple than you might expect. And while it might feel more intimidating at first, giving the perfect sympathy gift actually shares many similarities as giving beautiful gifts for any other type of reason.
First things first. We know that for most people, giving flowers seems like the obvious right choice when sending a sympathy gift. And while we love fresh flowers, every person who has lost a loved one knows that you can be absolutely overwhelmed with endless bouquets in those first few weeks after loss. And while the flowers may last a bit, once they start to die and wilt, they can be an all too real reminder of death and loss.
If you have ever wanted to give something different than flowers, you have come to the right place, because giving good sympathy gifts is what we do best. We know it can feel daunting to choose the right gift, so we have created an entire collection of curated gifts designed for specific losses. Whether you need gifts for someone who has lost a spouse, lost a family member, is going through a difficult season, or is experiencing child loss or miscarriage, we have specifically designed gifts that will speak to their individual loss.
But because we also know that every loss is unique, we have a large selection of over 80 items that can be added to a totally customized gift. It is a great option if you want to build your gift to a specific price point, or if you want to add items that will specifically speak to your friend’s loss.
My personal favorite gift for a grieving friend is a personalized one. Seeing your loved one’s name on a gift is incredibly special, and our newest collection of personalized gifts has so many thoughtful options. Our Custom Memorial Candle is a thoughtful gift year round. During the spring and summer, I love sending seasonally thoughtful gifts like our Custom Butterfly Garden Seed set and a beautiful Wind Chime.
If the idea of sending a very specific grief gift feels too intimate and personal, we also totally understand! It is very common to want to send a gift of support to someone you do not know super well, and it might feel like a personalized gift is too intimate. Our Light in Dark Places candle is a totally perfect option for a coworker in your office or an acquaintance. It helps you express your support and love without being an overly emotive gift for someone who you do not know well. It is our top selling gift in the shop, and it is a recipient favorite!
Your thoughtful personalized gift message is another important part of gifting to someone who is grieving, and because we know it can feel daunting to put together the perfect words, we have a few suggestions. First, keep the gift message simple. The main purpose of your gift message is to acknowledge their loss and to let them know they are in your thoughts. We love something simple like the example below...,
Lastly, we do think that the presentation of a sympathy gift matters. When you are in deep grief, there is something special about feeling like the sender of the gift thought of you individually, which is why we spend extra care and time packaging each order from laurelbox in our signature packaging, complete with tissue paper, crinkle paper, a high quality label seal, and your personalized gift message.
We hope that this helps you as you work to choose the perfect sympathy gift for a friend!
