Looking for sympathy gift ideas? Here are several unique bereavement gifts for someone who lost a loved one.
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Gift cards, meal vouchers, or “grief groceries”
Consider giving a gift card or meal voucher, such as a gift card to a grocery store, Amazon, Panera, Starbucks, or another local restaurant. Alternatively, you could place an online order for groceries at a local store and have them delivered to your grieving friend’s home.
Memory bear
If you’re looking for a meaningful, sentimental gift, this Bereavement Bear by The Patchwork Bear would be a very special sympathy gift idea. Clothing belonging to the person who passed away can be sent in to be turned into a personalized, handcrafted memory bear.
Photo credit: The Patchwork Bear, thepatchworkbear.com
Letters to Grief
For me, the most-often used bereavement gift for someone who lost a loved one is the book, Letters to Grief. It is a short, easily gifted collection of letters to grief personified.
This book is not a prescriptive book on how to grieve, but rather a descriptive book that offers readers language to express and articulate their grieving process.
Here’s a two-minute video of the author reading the first letter from the book:
Memorial Tree
Next on our list of unique bereavement gifts for someone who lost a loved one: plant a tree in honor of the person who passed away.
Three organizations that offer this service include A Living Tribute, The Gifted Tree, and Arbor Day Foundation. Alternatively, depending on the person’s property and living circumstances, you might gift them with a live tree that they could plant on their property in memory of their lost loved one.
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Digital picture frame
A digital photo frame gives people the opportunity to upload a collection of favorite photos highlighting memories they shared with their lost loved one. Photos can be changed at any time, and alternate throughout the day for a constant rotation of special images and memories.
Cleaning service
When a person is deep in their grief, it is unlikely that they will have a great desire to clean their home or take care of basic necessities around the house. Perhaps you and some mutual friends could pool together to hire a cleaning service for your grieving friend for one or two weeks, or perhaps the first month as they adjust to their new normal without their loved one.
101 Prayers for Comfort in Difficult Times
This gift book includes a collection of 101 Scripture passages followed by a short prayer based on each verse. It’s an ideal gift for someone who is going through a difficult time and needs a quick boost of hope and encouragement each day.
Babysitting or childcare
If your grieving friend has children and you are in a position to care for them, consider offering to babysit or provide childcare for a morning or an afternoon. Perhaps your grieving friend will want to run some errands alone, or maybe they just want to stay home and take a nap. Instead of asking, “How can I help?” make a practical offer such as, “I’d like to pick up your kids on Saturday morning and take them out for a few hours. Does that work for you?”
Journal
A journal is a great way for someone who is grieving to process their thoughts and emotions or record testimonies of the Lord’s faithfulness in the midst of their grief.
Consider this floral spiral-bound version:
. . . or this faux-leather-bound “Be Still and Know” journal:
Transportation
If you have reliable transportation, consider offering to drive your grieving friend to or from an appointment, pick up their kids from school, or run an errand on their behalf. This small act of kindness can go a long way when energy levels are low during the grieving process.
A Place to Land memoir
This moving memoir offers readers hope in the midst of loss. In this specific story, the author loses her mom after a long battle with cancer. The book is written from a Christian perspective, offering an eternal perspective and lasting comfort for those who know and love the Lord.
Home maintenance
Depending on the season, consider how you might bless your grieving friend by taking care of some home maintenance needs they may not be thinking about right now. If it’s winter, could you organize snow removal for them? Do they need their furnace filter to be changed? Do they need their gutters to be cleaned? Be creative and offer specific help rather than asking the question, “Can I help with anything?”
Handcrafted memory pillow
One of my favorite sympathy gift ideas is these handcrafted memory pillows made from a loved one’s shirt:
Lawn care
Depending on the season, you could gift your bereaved friend with a lawn care service, either once-off or ongoing. Perhaps you could get some youth group kids to volunteer to rake leaves or hire a teenager in the neighborhood to mow their lawn once a week.
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Memorial quilt
A memorial quilt is a beautiful, thoughtful sympathy gift idea that will be cherished for years to come. Here are some examples from Memory Quilts by Molly:
Photo Credit: Memory Quilts by Molly, www.memoryquiltsbymolly.com
Car maintenance
Consider offering to take your grieving friend’s car for a tune-up, fill it up with gas, or buy them a voucher for an oil change. Ask if they need their tires rotated or an alignment. Consider how you can make their lives easier by taking care of some of these less-than-glamorous chores while they are grieving.
Scholarship
Consider starting a scholarship in honor of the person who passed away, such as an annual college scholarship or a scholarship for youth in the community to participate in a certain activity that was meaningful to the person who passed away.
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I hope this list of sympathy gift ideas has been helpful to you as you search for unique bereavement gifts for someone who lost a loved one.
If you found this article to be helpful, would you please consider sharing it on Facebook or Pinterest so others can benefit from it as well?
Also, before you go: What other sympathy gift ideas would you add to this list? Leave a comment below!
This is a valuable list. Thank you, Kate.