The death of a friend or loved one is a traumatic event for everyone. Whether you’re shopping for gifts for a friend or a close family member who is bereaved, our list will provide you with appropriate, thoughtful, and meaningful sympathy gift ideas that let them know you’re thinking of them during this incredibly difficult time.
When someone is grieving, a small piece of jewelry can be a thoughtful gift to help them remember the deceased. This simple urn pendant would be a lovely gift for either a man or a woman who wishes to carry a tiny bit of their loved one’s ashes with them at all times.
It features a sterling silver polished cylinder with a sweet angel wing charm at the side to carry the protection of the angels and the light of their loved one. A similar pendant in black stainless steel is ideal for men too.
Cremation jewelry is a perfect way to memorialize a lost loved one. It’s a small gift that doesn’t take up a lot of space in someone’s home, making it ideal for gifting to the bereaved.
It’s traditional for friends and family to provide sustenance for the family of the deceased. If their fridge and freezer are already full of casserole dishes from well-meaning acquaintances, the bereaved might appreciate some fresh fruits.
This fruit basket includes two varieties of pears, two varieties of apples, mango, oranges and mandarins, and fruit in season. There’s also crackers, chocolates, almonds, and two types of cheese. Similar gift baskets we also like include the shelf-stable “Hope in Times of Grief” gift basket, as well as the suitably dark-hued Great Arrivals Sympathy gift basket, which features a variety of items in black and gold boxes. This is a great gift to send in lieu of flowers.
If someone you love is grieving, they need a big warm hug from you. But at those times when you can’t be there in person, this cozy fleece throw can wrap them in your warmth. On one side it’s super soft fleece sherpa, while on the other it’s a velvety fleece printed with lovely and positive words to lift their spirits like prayer, hugs, strength, healing, and more. This cozy throw is machine washable, so no worry if a few tears flow onto it. It comes in more than a dozen colors as well as sizes up to King.
While it’s easy to send a sympathy card, sometimes one expression of caring for the person who has lost a loved one simply isn’t enough. This pretty jar is filled with 31 positive and encouraging messages they can tap into whenever they need a lift. Each comes in a lovely little envelope that can even be closed back up and put back in the jar for reading again another day.
With powerful words from people like Theodore Roosevelt, Helen Keller and others as well as poetry and prose, this gift will do their aching heart good everytime they open one of these messages. We also love the Morning Sunshine Sympathy Notes, but you can get these KindNotes in more than a dozen pretty themes for men and women.
This thoughtfully designed candle holder is designed to work with tea light candles. The bereaved can light a candle whenever they want to remember the departed. A decorative copper top can be used to extinguish the flame, or to cap off the top of the candleholder when it is not in use.
If you want something a little more personal, this memorial candle holder features a lovely message that gives those left behind hope that their loved one is looking down happily upon them.
This bench would be a lovely addition to a garden where the deceased used to spend their free time. The bench reads “Gone yet not forgotten, although we are apart, your spirit lives within me, forever in my heart.”
The bench measures 29 inches wide and about 15 inches tall. It weighs 73 pounds, and will require some minor assembly upon arrival. This is a somewhat lavish gift, but it’s definitely appropriate for commemorating the loss of close family or friends.
When faced with a loss, everyone can use an angel at their side, and this delicate hand painted figurine is a thoughtful sympathy gift to give. At just five inches tall, she’s made of resin and has flighty wings made of wire. Her robe is textured to look like white lace and above her clasped hands sit a tiny gold heart. This little angel seems appropriate for someone who has lost a child. Willow Tree has a whole collection of sympathy angels to choose from here.
Another beautiful sympathy angel stands at nine inches tall and features a more ornate look. In her arms, she is holding a cross and her skirt is incised with the words “Angels are always near to those who are grieving, to whisper to them that their loved ones are safe in the hands of God.”
This memorial gift is ideal for a member of your immediate family. The art is made from jute burlap with a laminated backing to prolong the life of the print. The print measures 8×10, and can be placed in a 8×10 frame or 11×14 frame with 8×10 mat.
In some families, it is traditional to place a bereavement stone in a place that the departed person loved when they were alive. This stone could be placed in a garden, by a swimming pool, or any other place where the deceased visited in life.
The poem on the stepping stone reads as follows: “You left us beautiful memories, your love is still our guide, although we cannot see you, you’re always at our side.”
Often, the gifts you find to express your sympathy seem a little too trite for your liking. If you’re looking for something more earthy and original, this artisan made sympathy gift is a lovely expression of your caring. The Comfort Bowl is filled with eleven black and white stones, each inscribed with thoughtful messages like “it’s okay to cry” and “honor the loss.” It also contains five beautiful crystals that represent tears. It comes with a thoughtful explanatory card.
It feels like there’s nothing more tragic than losing someone you love. Finding the right expression of sympathy will be appreciated more than you can imagine. This black memorial lantern keeps their light alive in a grieving person’s heart, with a flickering LED candle and a glass door inscribed with words to celebrat life, remember, and always hold their memories in your heart. It’s a touching and thoughtful sympathy gift.
This same company has a similar lantern inscribed with “I will always treasure the light and love you shine on my life.” It comes with an LED candle that says Grandma on it.
Memorial windchimes are a tasteful gift that someone can place in their garden or front yard. When the chimes are triggered by the wind, the make a delicate chime that some people find comforting. This chime is made from gift-quality pewter.
It is best suited for use indoors or in a protected outdoor area, so if you live in an area that gets a lot of heavy rain or snow, you may want to advise your recipient to bring the chimes indoors part of the year. You can browse more memorial windchimes available with rush shipping here.
Finding the right words isn’t always easy, and telling a person who is grieving that “life will go on” doesn’t seem helpful or comforting. That’s why we think this sweet box sign says it all. It captures in a sweet way the fact that life is full of storms, but we can still find joy in each day. We also love the Think Deeply box sign, for all the rest of the words which read “Think Deeply, Speak Gently, Love Much, Laugh A Lot, Work Hard, Give Freely, and Be Kind.” All good thoughts to live by. The Be Strong box sign is another favorite.
A simple touch of green can bring a lot of peace during a sea of dark days after the loss of someone close. This pretty succulent and candle set is the perfect way to deliver a bit of brightness to someone who is grieving. It comes with a healthy, easy care succulent in a high quality succulent pot, as well as a 100% vegan soy wax candle in a petite glass jar. It comes beautifully boxed and even includes some elegant wooden matches to light the candle.
The succulent requires little upkeep, which is a bonus when someone is too numb to handle the regular details of life.
This memorial music box plays “Amazing Grace” and features an interior that can hold a photo of the deceased. There’s also room inside for some small keepsakes, such as their jewelry, knick knacks, or other mementos of their time on Earth. The divided lid reads: “In Memory…Our loved ones will always live on in our hearts.” You can browse more memorial music box gifts here.
If you’ve been searching for sympathy gift ideas for someone who has lost a parent, this lovely memorial bracelet is super thoughtful. It features three charms, an angel wing, a disk engraved with the words “I used to be his angel, now he’s mine,” and a smaller disk that’s engraved with “Dad.” Get a similar bracelet to honor someone who has lost their mom, with a pearl charm instead of the angel wing.
A sweet remembrance bangle is another thoughtful idea. This one features the words “I will hold you in my heart” engraved on the top of the band, and on the inside, the words “until I hold you in heaven.”
Sometimes, the simplest gifts are the best. This “forever in my heart” condolence photo frame features room for a cherished photo of the departed. The frame also includes a piece of keepsake inspirational poetry. If you’re not a fan of this style of frame, you can browse more memorial photo frames on sale here.
Not everyone who loses a loved one wants something that overtly reminds them of that person in a memorial sort of way, so sometimes those statues and wall plaques just prolong the ache. But just like all occasions, sympathy gift ideas don’t have to follow any rules, so why not give them a beautiful keepsake box like this one to put treasured mementos of their loved one in?
This beautiful wood box is made with sustainable walnut, and laser cut with the ginkgo leaf design. It’s perfect for storing pictures, tickets, articles, jewelry pieces, and whatever else inside. You could present it to your loved one with a few pictures you’ve saved of them and their lost one to get them started. The Garden of Flowers wooden keepsake box is another beautiful option.
Sympathy gifts take many turns, and these sweet angel wing earrings are another way to say I Love You to a friend or family member who has lost someone close. Cast from sterling silver, the openwork angel wings are light and airy and hang from a French wire hook.
If you’re flummoxed about finding the right sympathy gift, you’ll always choose the right thing with a gift box that’s filled with self-pampering and uplifting goodies. This box has all the makings of a comforting day and evening with a blanket, cozy socks, an insulated tumbler, cooling eye mask (especially great when eyes are puffy from crying), and a candle.
The Happiness & Love Box is another sweet option for anyone who is grieving over a death, a health situation, or simply some personal sadness.
The season of grieving is a thoughtful time, one when the person who is mourning is struggling to sort out their feelings and move forward. This book is designed as a 365-day devotional designed to support and uplift them in the first, most difficult year of bereavement. Biblical comfort, as well as practical healing, will help them move forward from grief to living a new life filled with joy.
Healing After Loss: Daily Meditations For Working Through Grief is good for someone who is spiritual but perhaps not religious, giving them a daily dose of uplifting peace and calm. For the woman who has just lost her partner or spouse, A Widow’s Journey: Reflections on Walking Alone offers a new look at life when she’s living in a household of one.
For someone spiritual or religious, the symbol of the cross is often comforting in times of grief. This silver resin cross with a heart in the center is meant to hang on the wall. It is inscribed with the loveliest verse that assures they will once again be reunited with their loved ones when God calls them to the heavenly gates. Get a slightly different verse on the bronze wall cross that features an eternal flame design in the center.
You might be wondering why we chose this beautiful handblown glass wishing ball as one of our sympathy gift ideas, but it’s a sweet reminder of sunshine and happy days, and the ethereal blues and greens in the glass are calming and gentle. This beautiful token of your affection comes with a tiny notepad that they can write their remembrances, wishes, and prayers on, and then roll them up and insert them inside the ball. It’s a beautiful opportunity for them to express their feelings in a most private way.
This sweet memory photo wall hanging piece is a thoughtful condolence gift that can involve your creativity in a very personal way. The complete kit comes with a wooden board printed with “Those we love can never be more than a thought away.” It also has two string art hearts on each side. Meant to be mounted with the included twine cord, it comes with eight tiny clothes pins from which you can hang your favorite pictures of their loved one to bring back a flood of happy memories, despite their sadness.
Get this wall hanging in the dark wood finish pictured, or a lighter brown wood tone to best match their decor.
With three candles to burn in the memory of a loved one, the beautiful LifeSong votive candle holders are customizable with a loved one’s name and dates of life carefully etched into a solid cherry wood block. With six designs, each with a different sentiment, you’re sure to find one that touches the heart of a bereaved friend of family member. While these candleholders come with three glass votive candle holders to insert, you might want to find some calming candles scented to give them a calming dose of aromatherapy as well.
When you want to show your support and love, these thoughtful sympathy gift ideas are a good way to share your condolences. Our suggestions for tasteful memorial gifts are ideal for friends and family.