Memorial Gift Ideas
We make cards and prints in the UK. There is nothing to sell here beyond a sympathy card, and this guide is written to be useful rather than to sell you one.
A memorial gift is different from a condolence gift. Condolence gifts arrive in the first fortnight; memorial gifts arrive later, and their job is to say the person is still remembered.
The best ones keep the name in circulation. The worst ones are ornaments with a poem printed on them.
This is general information, not legal or financial advice. For probate, benefits or tax questions, use GOV.UK or speak to a solicitor.
A sympathy card
On an anniversary, a card with the person's name written in it does more than any object.
Living memorials
- A tree planted in their name, either in a woodland scheme or in the family's garden.
- A rose or shrub chosen for the month they died, which flowers on the anniversary.
- A bench or plaque, if the family has somewhere in mind - ask first, never surprise them.
- A bulb order that comes up every spring without anyone having to do anything.
Keepsakes
- A framed photograph, printed properly and ready to hang, rather than a file sent by message.
- Their handwriting from a card or recipe, copied onto a print or a piece of jewellery.
- A blanket or cushion made from a shirt, if the family has offered clothes to be used.
- A memory book left open at family gatherings for people to write in.
Donations and named gifts
- A donation to the hospice, ward or charity that looked after them, in their name.
- Sponsoring something concrete - a bed, a training session, an hour of care - rather than a general fund.
- A charity place in a run or walk, done in their name with the family told beforehand.
- Forward the confirmation to the family so they know it happened.
Anniversaries and birthdays
- Send something on the first anniversary. Everyone sends things in the first month and nothing after that.
- A card on their birthday, saying you thought of them today.
- An invitation to do something on the day, so nobody sits alone with it.
- Use the person's name. Families notice when people stop saying it.
What to avoid
- Mass-produced angel ornaments and printed grief poems.
- Anything that assumes a religious belief the family doesn't hold.
- Photographs shared publicly without asking.
- Gifts that create a job - plants that need daily care, or anything that needs returning.
How to write it so it lands
- Later is better than never.
- Use the person's name.
- Ask before benches and plaques.
Where to shop next
- Funeral etiquette in the UK
- What to do when someone dies
- Flowers, donations or neither
- What to wear to a funeral
- Helping someone in the weeks after
- Condolence gift ideas
- Arranging a funeral: a practical guide
- Sympathy gifts for a colleague
- What to bring to a wake
- Sympathy hampers: what to put in
- What not to say when someone is grieving
- How much to give for a funeral collection
- Funeral songs
- Difficult moments guides
- All guides
- Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
- How to make a balloon arch
- Photo booth prop ideas
Frequently asked questions
What is a good memorial gift?
A tree or rose planted in their name, a properly framed photograph, their handwriting on a keepsake, or a donation to the hospice or charity that cared for them.
Is it too late to send a memorial gift?
No. Gifts that arrive months later are often the most valued, because the first wave of support has stopped by then.
What should you send on a death anniversary?
A card that uses the person's name, flowers, or an invitation to spend part of the day together. Saying the name is the point.