When the death of a loved one happens, the feeling of grief and confusion can outweigh the importance of everything else. This is why planning to give a sympathy gift to a grieving friend, family member, or coworker can sometimes feel awkward — it may not be the kind of thing you feel prepared to do. Figuring out what that grieving person needs most — whether it's a friend to talk to, time alone to process the loss, the burden of chores and meal planning temporarily lifted, or a happy distraction — depends completely on that person and cannot be a one-size-fits-all solution.
“Grieving can be one of the most difficult and painful times in a person’s life, and helping someone adjust to their new loss can be just as uncomfortable,” says Perri Shaw Borish, a psychotherapist and founder of Whole Heart Maternal Mental Health. “It’s important to consider what type of loss this is and what is nurturing and caring to the person who is grieving.”
If gift-giving is how you naturally express your love for others, you might not think twice about buying a sympathy gift. But to others, it might be more difficult. For them, Borish offers a few alternatives: “One can show support in non-tangible ways by giving their time and energies to assisting in any way that’s needed, whether it be offering a listening ear, a shoulder to cry on, or extending help with logistical things like calling friends or family or preparing a house for a Shiva or a funeral.”
Borish stresses that being present for the person who is grieving is better than any gift you can give, but if you can't be physically there for them, sending your love in the form of a care package can be a thoughtful gesture, too. “Sending a personalized care package that centers around the griever’s health and well-being can be a mindful way to express sympathy and promote solace,” she says.
This guide covers 15 different sympathy gifts — these ideas all center a grieving person's wellbeing, providing comfort from afar, taking some weight off of their shoulders, and uplifting them when they need it most.
Food is the universal language of love, and if dropping off a frozen lasagna with your grieving loved one isn't possible right now, the next best thing is gifting them a five-star meal on your dime.
Goldbelly isn't an ordinary takeout site — they actually offer nationwide delivery from hundreds of different restaurants. So your loved one can get the all-time favorites that they grew up eating, if what they are really craving right now is a slice of home.
The gift cards are available in increments from $25 to $200, or you can enter a custom amount.
If they're planning a loved one's funeral, we'd assume that household chores are probably the last thing on their mind right now. Consider gifting them a 3-hour house cleaning through Handy to lift an immense burden off of their shoulders.
You can buy multiple cleanings at a time or gift them specific services like TV mounting, picture and shelf hanging, and furniture assembly.
Handy also has safety protocols in place to keep their professionals and your gift recipient safe during the housework session.
Plants are some of the best sympathy gifts for those who are natural caretakers. The peace lily symbolizes sympathy but also tranquility and prosperity.
As a funeral plant, it is sure to give your loved one comfort on a hard day, and its low-maintenance greenery will help remind them of your care and love for them.
For a person who is not thinking of themselves during a period of grief, receiving a beautiful bouquet of flowers can feel unexpectedly heartfelt.
The Bouqs Co. is one of our all-time go-tos when it comes to gifting flowers, and their Marshmellow Cloud bouquet features cloud and Princess Maya roses in calming white and pink. It comes in either a 15- or 30-stem size, and you can add on a vase for $10 more.
Sometimes, a handwritten letter or card is simply the perfect sympathy gift. Lovepop's cards truly take it to the next level.
This sympathy card folds open flat to reveal a pop-up willow tree with a dove perched on it. This poignant imagery is meant to symbolize both sorrow and hope for a new beginning. Besides the words on the front of the card, the interior is blank, so you can add your own personal sentiments.
We can attest from experience that when a box from MOUTH shows up, it's a very happy occasion. This bundle is a unique sympathy gift for a known tea and sweets lover to brighten their spirits and stock their cupboard.
This five-item foodie gift includes two types of tea, two packages of cookies, and one jar of wildflower honey, and they're all from indie makers.
There are so many creative ways to memorialize the loss of a loved one, but this one is truly heaven-sent. Using your chosen date, location, and time, this Etsy seller creates a custom artwork of the constellations in the night sky on a loved one's birthday or anniversary.
Any little piece of paper with a loved one's handwriting on it takes on the most precious quality after they're gone. If you and a close friend or family member are grieving the loss of the same person, this delicate engraved cuff bracelet, which uses a scan of the deceased's handwriting, will help keep them close.
We also like this top-rated engraved keychain, if that's more their style.
Many great sympathy gifts promote relaxation during an inordinately stressful time. This gift bundle from UrbanStems is a kind reminder that their rest and wellbeing matters.
It features an easy-to-care-for, 6-to-8-inch air plant, a bottle of lavender and rose bath salts, a lavender-scented candle, and hand wipes infused with peppermint and eucalyptus.
Finally, your pictures from social media, your camera roll, and the old family photo albums can all live in one beautiful place. Artifact Uprising is one of our favorite purveyors of high-quality paper and photo products, and their Everyday Photo Books will make them want to keep their most precious memories out on the coffee table at all times, not tucked away on the shelf.
This 7x7-inch hardcover book comes in six colors, and in 30-, 40-, or 50-page options. It's a showstopping sympathy gift that you'll want to take some time to get completely perfect.
A beautiful way to bring some vibrancy to their backyard while honoring the memory of their dearly departed, this personalized bird feeder is definitely worth the splurge. It's a completely handmade piece, comprised of red oak with a small engraved plaque on its front.
Reviewers not only love the look of this exquisite feeder, but they also appreciate the top-notch customer service from the Etsy seller, too.
Here's an accessory that they'll always want to keep close. This sympathy gift immortalizes a favorite note from a departed loved one that you simply can't limit to just a few words.
The clutch is made from Italian leather (available in blue, mauve, brown, and champagne), and it allows you to send the Etsy seller a scan of your loved one's letter to be printed on the bag's inner cotton lining.
Journaling is a great, therapist-endorsed tool for emotional regulation, and it can help them get their day-to-day thoughts out of their head and onto the page in a healthy way.
Gifting a grieving friend an exceptionally beautiful notebook, like this colorful pick from Papier, is a generous way of letting them know that you care about their mental and emotional health.
This notebook has a lot of cool customization options: Choose between a hardcover or softcover, eight different colorways, and a ruled, dotted, or plain interior. And, of course, you can personalize the text on the front, too!
This is another sympathy gift for the garden that will make their loved one feel close every time a soft breeze blows. This bamboo-wood chime produces a soft, calming sound — its heart-shaped wind catcher reads, “A piece of my heart lives in Heaven,” and it can be customized with their loved one’s name on the back.
Even years afterward, the loss of a loved one can still feel painful. While there's no replacement for seeking out a therapist or a grief counselor, gifting this deck of cards, created by clinician and worry-management expert Dr. Jennifer L. Abel, can be a helpful place to start.
This deck is best given to someone whom you're close to. It won't feel like you're handing them a reading assignment on grief and anxiety, because as they flip through the 56 cards, they may pick up on a mindfulness or relaxation technique that resonates at that moment.
The cards are divided into four categories — thinking, doing, relaxing, and being mindful — and offer techniques and tips that range from easy and lighthearted (watching something funny) to more involved and physiological (the progressive muscle relaxation technique).
This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io
