Sympathy Gifts That Aren’t Flowers

While sending flowers is traditional when someone dies, many people instead choose sympathy gifts that aren’t flowers. They do so for many reasons, including:

• Fresh flowers look lovely, but they only last a few days
• Cost of flowers from a florist continues to rise
• Everyone else sends flowers and they can seem impersonal
• They have received a living gift themselves and appreciate its longevity

We have collated a few examples of sympathy gifts that are not flowers to help you show support to your grieving friend or loved one.

Ideas for Sympathy Gifts Which Are Not Flowers 

Many grieving families will suggest ‘in lieu of flowers’ a contribution to a charity is made. Sometimes though, you want to express your sympathy in a tangible way. You could consider gifting the family:

·        A living gift – a gift of a remembrance tree is a beautiful living reminder for the family. As it grows over the years, family can see the tree and remember their loved one. We find that many people choose a remembrance tree based upon the tree’s symbolism.

·        Gift box – gift boxes provide a lovely way to show you care for the bereaved and are thinking of them. There are many pre-made gift boxes available, or for a personalised option, you can select the contents and build your own gift box yourself.  

·        Memorial jewellery – a very personal gift are pieces of memorial jewellery. Worn and containing the deceased ashes, a photo or lock of hair, they are a way to keep a loved one close with them.

·        Photos – spend time looking through your photos of the deceased and print out or send as a file to the family. It is likely that they have not seen these photos before. You could even use one or more photos to create a memory keepsake.

·        Self-care gift – understandably people who have suffered a loss often fail to take care of themselves. A gift voucher for a shoulder massage or a gift hamper containing self-care products would work beautifully.

·        Cooked meals and baking – providing cooked meals or baking helps the family who understandably are too upset to cook or even to remember to eat.

·        Being present – you may not know what to say but just being present with the bereaved is one of the nicest things you can do to show support. This is especially true in the weeks and months after the funeral, when things slow down and their loss becomes more apparent.

It is always difficult when someone passes away. It you need any assistance with selecting a living gift, choosing heartfelt words to include in a gift card or to pass on your sympathy to loved ones when you can’t be there, we’re here to help.