6 Memorial Gifts to Remember Someone You Lost in a Beautiful Way

Losing someone we love-- whether it's a family member, a spouse, or even a pet-- is never easy. It's a hard transition, and it can be easy to become consumed from the loss and the trauma itself. While we're processing, it's so easy to find yourself fixating on the pain or the hard times leading up to the loss that it's difficult to remember the good times that came before.

While moving past the pain will take some time, there are a few things you can do to put focus on the happy, loving memories, too. 

One of our go-to recommendations is to purchase a symbolic memorial gift for yourself (or for someone else, if they're experiencing the loss) that helps you honor the person who lost in a positive way. 

While the gifts you choose to remember a lost loved one will vary heavily based on the person experiencing grief and the individual they lost (and their relationship), here are a few of our favorite memorial gifts that can help you remember someone you lost in a beautiful way. 

1. Plant a Tree 

Many people find the idea of honoring a life with something that can grow and flourish to be peaceful and comforting. This makes live trees, flowers, and plants excellent choices for sympathy gifts following a loss.

memorial gifts for loss of husband; memorial tree

You can order a young memorial tree or rose bush that you can plant at home in honor of your lost loved one. You can watch it grow into something beautiful over the years, keeping the memory of your loved one with you.

Note: When ordering with The Comfort Company, take a look at the recommendations for how big the trees will get and what types of weather they can withstand. This can help you make a purchasing decision that will increase longevity of the tree itself. 

memorial gifts for loss of mother

2. Wear Jewelry Close to Your Heart 

 Jewelry like a simple pendant is a wonderful way to remember someone you love in a beautiful way. The jewelry itself can be gorgeous and symbolic of your relationships with the person you lost. Even better, it's close to your heart and you don't need to take it off if you don't want to. (The exception, of course, is small children; for safety purposes, they should take necklaces off to sleep).

sympathy gift for loss of mother

If you have a piece of jewelry from the person lost, this is an obvious choice to keep close by. You can also purchase jewelry in their honor, like a teardrop pendant or something like our dragonfly necklace above, which comes with a symbolic message.  

If necklaces aren't really your thing, you can also consider a ring or a bracelet, too. 

3. Hang Wind Chimes Outdoors 

Since nature can be so healing during times of grief, helping you to be more mindful and feel connected with the world around you, wind chimes are a wonderful way to celebrate a loss. 

memorial gifts for loss of spouse

There are plenty of options to choose from, including personalized wind chimes, or those that come with gorgeous sayings designed to bring comfort. Take a look at different options, and make a decision based on where you'd like to hang it and what will remind you most of the person you lost. 

4. Place a Symbolic Ornmanent on the Tree 

Holidays can be particularly hard when you're missing someone that you love, and for some, holidays like Christmas that conventionally bring family together can be particularly challenging. 

Placing a symbolic ornament on the Christmas tree can help keep your loved one close, keeping them included in the family events. My husband and I have a tackle box ornament we hang on the tree every year in a place of honor in memory of his late father, who would always take him fishing. 

sympathy gifts for loss of husband

You can choose a personalized, custom ornament, or look for an encouraging ornament that can remember the positive times with your lost loved one. 

5. Put Memorial Benches & Stones Near Their Favorite Garden 

We've mentioned above how reassuring it can be to spend some time in the great outdoors, even in your own backyard. It can help you feel connected to the person you lost while letting you enjoy some fresh air and sun.

If you think sitting in a quiet, beautiful part of the yard could bring peace, consider adding a memorial bench or stone to your home.

sympathy gifts for loss of spouse

Memorial garden benches can be personalized to have a favorite quote from the person you lost, or even feature their picture. 

You can also personalize memorial stones, or choose from a premade option like the one pictured below, which offer reassuring thoughts about a life well lived (and very much missed). 

sympathy gifts for loss

6. Hang a Favorite Picture Somewhere You’ll See It Daily 

Pictures are worth a thousand words, and they can help us remember the smiles and the joy that the people we love have brought us. If you're ready to do so, hang a favorite picture of the person you lost somewhere you'll see it in your home. This might be a small picture on your nightstand, or one that you walk by daily in the hallway. 

gifts for pet loss

You can stick to a standard frame, but some find it comforting to choose frames that are designed to be memorial frames like the example above, which comes with a dedicated poem and provides a place to hang their collar. 

Choose what works best for you and your family, and be conscious about whether other family members would be affected by seeing the picture. 

Final Thoughts

There's nothing we can do to cover up painful losses of those that we love most, but sometimes having a tangible, symbolic item that we see daily can help us to feel more connected to our loved ones. These gifts can help us celebrate those that we've lost in a beautiful, positive way, potentially making it easier to start to heal. 

Are you looking for a memorial gift for yourself or for someone you care about? All of our carefully-curated gifts were designed to offer comfort following a loss. You can see if we have something that can help you here

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