Memorial gifts provide a way to share a tangible expression of your love to someone who is grieving. In addition to sending a sympathy card or a text, you may also want to provide an additional way to bring comfort, something meaningful that can be touched and seen. You can send a card along with your gift or send a gift and follow it up with a note or text a week later. Reaching out with expressions of your condolences, sends an important message to the grieving person that their grief matters.

Here are some suggestions for memorial gifts—both traditional and unusual—for a variety of ways to let your loved one know that you care.

Being out in nature can be an extremely healing experience. There are a variety of memorial gifts for gardens to both memorialize a loved one and provide a peaceful place for healing for those left behind. Garden benches, stones, plaques, and markers can be engraved with expressions of sympathy and healing; inspirational quotes; or the name of the deceased. Garden items can even be personalized with a photo of the loved one which is fired onto porcelain to make it durable.

Planting a tree in memory of a loved one is a gift that will grow over time and provide a lasting memorial. The appropriate tree for the recipient's growing area can be chosen by Seeds of Life, ensuring that it thrives as a tribute to the departed life. If the loved one was cremated, memorial tree urns provide everything needed for a tree to grow from part of the cremated remains as a living memorial of the loved one.

For a unique sympathy gift, Captured Wishes creates wishing vessels filled with the sympathy and healing wishes you desire to send to someone who is grieving. The tiny glass vessels are filled with layers of brilliantly colored holographic glitters that symbolize your wishes and are adorned with gold, silver, or bronze charms specific to a particular wish. The vessel is accompanied by a verse card and explanation of the sympathy gift, which include tears of remembrance, grief relief wishes, and more. 

A personalized gift is a unique way to express your deepest condolences and to remember a loved one. Custom picture frames, canvas prints and crosses make lovely memorial gifts. Personalized blankets, wind chimes and photo ornaments are wonderful keepsakes to memorialize the loss and offer some comfort and hope. You can help friends and family members keep lost loved ones near with a remembrance gift like a photo pocket token, a photo keychain, or a coffee mug. 

One of the most difficult things for people when they are grieving is taking care of themselves.  A self-care gift such as a gift certificate for a massage, manicure, or even a private yoga class is a nice gesture that may help them take time for themselves. A self-care basket is another thoughtful gift if you don’t think they will be up for going out, such as nice pajamas, bath items, a candle, or a magazine.  These “Here for You” Self-Care grief packages are ready to go and even come with your choice of sympathy card. 

For loved ones who choose cremation, there are a variety of memorial and cremation jewelry that provides a way to keep the memory of a loved one close, including necklaces, lockets, bracelets and rings. These items often include inspirational quotes on meaningful shapes such as hearts, flowers, crosses, wings, and trees. Cremation jewelry holds a tiny bit of a loved one’s cremated remains.

There are a variety of ways to memorialize a loved one, from traditional garden markers to personalized keepsakes. For even more memorial gift ideas, here are 50 Sympathy Gifts for Someone Who Is Grieving.

Thanks for reading our blog. You can reach out to us, Wheelan-Pressly Funeral Home and Crematory anytime at 1-309-786-5421 or find us online at wheelanpressly.com