7 Different Sympathy Gifts to Give to Someone in Grief
<This is a guest post courtesy of Christine Gatuiria, whose writing is often featured on Funeralocity.>
Mourning the loss of a loved one is a very personal experience, and comforting those who are grieving is not an easy task. Sending a thoughtful sympathy gift is an excellent way to show empathy and support people during a difficult time.
There isn’t a set timeline for giving sympathy gifts – you can do it before or after the funeral, even if you weren’t able to attend the service. You may also send a condolence card or letter along with a gift to express your concern. Be sure to write down a thoughtful sentiment or share a special picture in the card.
If you were close to the deceased but didn’t know their family well, sending a gift to the family is a considerate way to honor your friend and show compassion for their loss. Here are some unique and creative ideas for sympathy gifts to give someone in grief:
Memorial Tree
Planting a tree as a memorial gift is a touching tribute that gives back to nature and allows the memory of your loved one to live on. Memorial trees are perfect sympathy gifts to honor those who loved spending time outdoors, and unlike funeral flowers, memorial trees serve as a lasting, organic reminder of the circle of life.
Dedicating a memorial tree to the memory of a loved one is an affordable and unique sympathy gift that can be shared by many generations of family and friends.
Memorial Photo Album
A picture is worth a thousand words, and if you have candid photos of the deceased that the family may not have seen, creating a personalized memorial album is a wonderful gift idea. You can compile assorted photos posted on social media sites – or selfies taken during happy occasions – to present to the family.
A visual reminder of a life lived well is a perfect way to memorialize the deceased and is easily shared with others.
Memorial Wind Chimes 
A personalized wind chime engraved with the name of a loved one is a unique sympathy gift. Wind chimes are made of wood or metal, and are usually placed in outdoor settings where the natural movement of air produces a melodious tinkling. This pleasant sound can evoke distinct memories of a loved one, especially if they were musically inclined.
In ancient cultures, wind chimes were often used to ward off evil spirits lurking near the home, however, modern wind chimes are popular for bringing positive energy into one’s surroundings. The cheerful sounds help with contemplation and introspection during a time of bereavement and grief
Extra Days Off
Most full-time employees receive only three days of paid time off for the funeral of an immediate family member, and planning a funeral can be lengthy process. Families have to make difficult decisions in a short period of time, which is especially stressful if they’re juggling multiple job duties and project deadlines.
Giving your coworker extra days off by gifting them your unused vacation time helps ease the burden of funeral planning by allowing them more time to cope with the loss of their loved one. Before offering this as a sympathy gift, check with your employer about their policies regarding sharing vacation time.
Living Memorial Wreath
While funeral floral bouquets are beautiful, the blossoms eventually die. A living memorial wreath made of hardy succulents is a great sympathy gift in lieu of flowers, as they’re made to last a long time and don’t require extensive care.
You can buy a premade wreath online or craft your own succulent wreath as a special tribute to the deceased.
Memorial Candle Holder
Candles are popular sympathy gifts and have a unique symbolism. In some religions, they’re lit during prayer to represent light in darkness. Candlelight is also known to kindle feelings of comfort and safety, and is often used during meditation to focus attention and breath.
Certain scents might be able to capture the essence of a loved one, which can help someone cope with a loss by reminding them of special memories. Candles come in all shapes, sizes, and colors, and make perfect condolence gifts when accompanied with a memorial candle holder engraved with a personalized inscription.
Memorial Stones
Memorial stones engraved with a personal message, picture, or symbol are unique sympathy gifts built to last forever. Outdoor memorial garden stones are easy to place in a meaningful location that family members visit on special anniversaries. Memorial stones can be fashioned out various materials including concrete and marble, and they also make perfect pet memorials.
This is a guest post courtesy of Christine Gatuiria, whose writing is often featured on Funeralocity.
Mourning the loss of a loved one is a very personal experience, and comforting those who are grieving is not an easy task. Sending a thoughtful sympathy gift is an excellent way to show empathy and support people during a difficult time.
There isn’t a set timeline for giving sympathy gifts – you can do it before or after the funeral, even if you weren’t able to attend the service. You may also send a condolence card or letter along with a gift to express your concern. Be sure to write down a thoughtful sentiment or share a special picture in the card.
If you were close to the deceased but didn’t know their family well, sending a gift to the family is a considerate way to honor your friend and show compassion for their loss. Here are some unique and creative ideas for sympathy gifts to give someone in grief:
Memorial Tree
Planting a tree as a memorial gift is a touching tribute that gives back to nature and allows the memory of your loved one to live on. Memorial trees are perfect sympathy gifts to honor those who loved spending time outdoors, and unlike funeral flowers, memorial trees serve as a lasting, organic reminder of the circle of life.
Dedicating a memorial tree to the memory of a loved one is an affordable and unique sympathy gift that can be shared by many generations of family and friends.
Memorial Photo Album
A picture is worth a thousand words, and if you have candid photos of the deceased that the family may not have seen, creating a personalized memorial album is a wonderful gift idea. You can compile assorted photos posted on social media sites – or selfies taken during happy occasions – to present to the family.
A visual reminder of a life lived well is a perfect way to memorialize the deceased and is easily shared with others.
Memorial Wind Chimes
A personalized wind chime engraved with the name of a loved one is a unique sympathy gift. Wind chimes are made of wood or metal, and are usually placed in outdoor settings where the natural movement of air produces a melodious tinkling. This pleasant sound can evoke distinct memories of a loved one, especially if they were musically inclined.
In ancient cultures, wind chimes were often used to ward off evil spirits lurking near the home, however, modern wind chimes are popular for bringing positive energy into one’s surroundings. The cheerful sounds help with contemplation and introspection during a time of bereavement and grief
Extra Days Off
Most full-time employees receive only three days of paid time off for the funeral of an immediate family member, and planning a funeral can be lengthy process. Families have to make difficult decisions in a short period of time, which is especially stressful if they’re juggling multiple job duties and project deadlines.
Giving your coworker extra days off by gifting them your unused vacation time helps ease the burden of funeral planning by allowing them more time to cope with the loss of their loved one. Before offering this as a sympathy gift, check with your employer about their policies regarding sharing vacation time.
Living Memorial Wreath
While funeral floral bouquets are beautiful, the blossoms eventually die. A living memorial wreath made of hardy succulents is a great sympathy gift in lieu of flowers, as they’re made to last a long time and don’t require extensive care.
You can buy a premade wreath online or craft your own succulent wreath as a special tribute to the deceased.
Memorial Candle Holder
Candles are popular sympathy gifts and have a unique symbolism. In some religions, they’re lit during prayer to represent light in darkness. Candlelight is also known to kindle feelings of comfort and safety, and is often used during meditation to focus attention and breath.
Certain scents might be able to capture the essence of a loved one, which can help someone cope with a loss by reminding them of special memories. Candles come in all shapes, sizes, and colors, and make perfect condolence gifts when accompanied with a memorial candle holder engraved with a personalized inscription.
Memorial Stones
Memorial stones engraved with a personal message, picture, or symbol are unique sympathy gifts built to last forever. Outdoor memorial garden stones are easy to place in a meaningful location that family members visit on special anniversaries. Memorial stones can be fashioned out various materials including concrete and marble, and they also make perfect pet memorials.
Why Tree Gifts are Great for Corporate Events
*This is a guest post courtesy of Ariel Chiu, Principal Planner and Owner at Wonderstruck Weddings & Events.*
There is never any shortage of events for your business or corporation, which means you constantly need to think of gifts to hand out to your clients and/or employees. It can be difficult trying to think of something unique every time, rather than something boring like basic stationery with your corporate logo on it.
If you need something new and thoughtful as a great new gift at a corporate event, tree gifts are growing in popularity. They come in one of two forms: a tree that is planted in honor of your guests, or an actual tree sapling they can take home and plant themselves. Here's why tree gifts are great gifts for corporate events:
Tree Dedications
Tree dedications as gifts work by ordering from a company like Trees for a Change that plants the trees in a forest that needs restoration due to fires, floods, or other types of wide-scale deforestation. As a gift, you can purchase all the trees needed for the people on your guest list and have the donations made in their name, and present them with the card that acts as a physical presentation of the donation. There are a few reasons why this makes a great gift for a corporate event:
- It makes your guests feel good for contributing to a worthy cause
- It is a highly unique type of gift rather than the usual swag no one ever actually uses
- It can help generate good PR for your company (the cards can include your logo)
The latter reason is especially true for companies that work in any semi-related sphere to the environment, or if they are located close to a National Forest as part of their community.
Tree Saplings
Another type of tree gift that you can give out are actual saplings. There are advantages and disadvantages to using these as a tree gift instead of a dedication. The advantage is the person gets a physical gift of their own — which they might prefer — but the disadvantage is that there's no guarantee the tree will be planted or properly cared for to make sure it can grow.
However, there's no reason why you can't try both! You'll undoubtedly have future events where you can try one, and then the other. Saplings work great as gifts around relevant holidays — give an evergreen tree sapling out around Christmas, or any of the better looking local tree species around Arbor Day. Then, at a different corporate event that doesn't have that convenient timing, you can opt for tree dedications as your event gift.
About the Author:
Ariel Chiu is the Principal Planner and Owner of Wonderstruck Weddings & Events, a corporate event and wedding planning company located in Vancouver, British Columbia. Ariel Understands how special life events can be. She believes that these important memories should be cherished. Ariel feels honored to have been involved with successfully organizing and coordinating weddings in any season, and bringing dreams to life through her confessions.
*This is a guest post courtesy of Ariel Chiu, Principal Planner and Owner at Wonderstruck Weddings Events.*
There is never any shortage of events for your business or corporation, which means you constantly need to think of gifts to hand out to your clients and/or employees. It can be difficult trying to think of something unique every time, rather than something boring like basic stationery with your corporate logo on it.
If you need something new and thoughtful as a great new gift at a corporate event, tree gifts are growing in popularity. They come in one of two forms: a tree that is planted in honor of your guests, or an actual tree sapling they can take home and plant themselves. Here's why tree gifts are great gifts for corporate events:
Tree Dedications
Tree dedications as gifts work by ordering from a company like Trees for a Change that plants the trees in a forest that needs restoration due to fires, floods, or other types of wide-scale deforestation. As a gift, you can purchase all the trees needed for the people on your guest list and have the donations made in their name, and present them with the card that acts as a physical presentation of the donation. There are a few reasons why this makes a great gift for a corporate event:
- It makes your guests feel good for contributing to a worthy cause
- It is a highly unique type of gift rather than the usual swag no one ever actually uses
- It can help generate good PR for your company (the cards can include your logo)
The latter reason is especially true for companies that work in any semi-related sphere to the environment, or if they are located close to a National Forest as part of their community.
Tree Saplings
Another type of tree gift that you can give out are actual saplings. There are advantages and disadvantages to using these as a tree gift instead of a dedication. The advantage is the person gets a physical gift of their own — which they might prefer — but the disadvantage is that there's no guarantee the tree will be planted or properly cared for to make sure it can grow.
However, there's no reason why you can't try both! You'll undoubtedly have future events where you can try one, and then the other. Saplings work great as gifts around relevant holidays — give an evergreen tree sapling out around Christmas, or any of the better looking local tree species around Arbor Day. Then, at a different corporate event that doesn't have that convenient timing, you can opt for tree dedications as your event gift.
About the Author:
Ariel Chiu is the Principal Planner and Owner of Wonderstruck Weddings Events, a corporate event and wedding planning company located in Vancouver, British Columbia. Ariel Understands how special life events can be. She believes that these important memories should be cherished. Ariel feels honored to have been involved with successfully organizing and coordinating weddings in any season, and bringing dreams to life through her confessions.
A Creative Tribute to a Favorite Teacher
March 2018
A beloved high school science teacher, Eric Thiel, recently passed away the day after retiring.
Two of his students, Amita and Jenna, decided to put on a benefit concert to add trees to his memorial grove. The concert, held at their school, had 16 amazing acts by 20 student performers. Kids sang- including a few originals, played several instruments, and did all the coordination for the event. The concert was a huge success, attended by about 100 students, family and friends.
The girls were proud to have raised enough to add 75 trees to Eric Thiel's grove!
Amita and Jenna said, "Mr Thiel...continues to inspire us to follow our true passions and brightest dreams, and be the best versions of ourselves. While we may not have gotten the chance to play Ukulele on the warm Hawaiian sands with him or see him on our graduation day, Mr. Thiel will always be our outstanding mentor, role model, and friend."
We have the honor of planting trees for a lot of people here at Trees for a Change, and we were particularly touched by these girls and their love for this special educator. Thanks for making us smile, Amita and Jenna! 
A beloved high school science teacher, Eric Thiel, recently passed away the day after retiring.
Two of his students, Amita and Jenna, decided to put on a benefit concert to add trees to his memorial grove. The concert, held at their school, had 16 amazing acts by 20 student performers. Kids sang- including a few originals, played several instruments, and did all the coordination for the event. The concert was a huge success, attended by about 100 students, family and friends.
The girls were proud to have raised enough to add 75 trees to Eric Thiel's grove!
Amita and Jenna said, "Mr Thiel...continues to inspire us to follow our true passions and brightest dreams, and be the best versions of ourselves. While we may not have gotten the chance to play Ukulele on the warm Hawaiian sands with him or see him on our graduation day, Mr. Thiel will always be our outstanding mentor, role model, and friend."
We have the honor of planting trees for a lot of people here at Trees for a Change, and we were particularly touched by these girls and their love for this special educator. Thanks for making us smile, Amita and Jenna!
Arbor Day Tree Photo Winners 2017
Congratulations to our winners:
Susan Novak
Diane Marsek
Jill Cournoyer
Linda Saxon
Check out all our incredible entries in our tree photos contest this year.
Congratulations to our winners:
Susan Novak
Diane Marsek
Jill Cournoyer
Linda Saxon
Check out all our incredible entries in our tree photos contest this year.
The Story of One Family's Visit to the Trees
Marilyn Fike lived a life full of love, family and adventures. When she passed away in 2014, Marilyn's daughter Melissa organized a Custom Grove.
After many friends and family members contributed, Marilyn's Grove ended up with 90 trees in Mendocino National Forest in California. It was a total pleasure to work with this family as we shared a lot of correspondence about the grove and their planned visit over the course of the last two years.
On Father's Day weekend of this year, 10 of Marilyn's family and friends from all over the western U.S. made a pilgrimage to see her trees. Below is part of the story shared with us by Dick, Marilyn's husband of 60 years. Photos were shared by Melissa.
"Saturday June 18th family and friends gathered at Granzella's in Williams. Melissa totally surprised me with a memorial pictorial book depicting Marilyn's life chronologically. It is beautiful! I was a blubbering mess for a long time.
Sunday morning we set off in two 4 wheel drive SUV's. It was a joy to find some of Marilyn's trees. The natural rejuvenation of the forest surprised me. Mother Nature is wonderful! The trees are thriving. It was a Grand Experience for everyone!
Monday we went home; some to Seattle, one to Forestville, two to Sebastopol, two to Pleasant Hill, two to Sacramento and two to San Jose.
And it was Father's Day - certainly the best I've ever had and will never forget.
As I said in the beginning, this all was possible because of your vision.
Bless you and thank you!"
Dick Fike
Tree Babies Planted in Tahoe National Forest
August 2016
Trees ordered from us between April 2015 - March 2016 were recently planted in Tahoe National Forest this summer. Click HERE to check out our baby tree photos and maps of the planting location. We gave the tree babies lots of love on our visit :)
7th Annual Tree Photo Contest!
It's time for our 7th Annual Tree Photo Contest! Yay!
We like to commemorate Arbor Day every year by having a contest to celebrate the
beauty of trees. Anyone can enter, and you would win $100, $50 or $35 credit at Trees for a Change as a prize!
Learn more HERE Please share with friends!
It's time for our 7th Annual Tree Photo Contest! Yay!
We like to commemorate Arbor Day
year by having a contest to celebrate the
Learn more HERE share with friends!
Welcome to our new Order Processor, Michelle :)
We're thrilled to have Michelle Barnes join the Trees for a Change team. If you order any kind of Tree Gift, chances are Michelle will be the one processing and shipping your order. She sometimes helps with customer service, too.
When she's not lovingly preparing your Tree Gifts, she can be found painting in her studio, dressing up her dachshund, or hanging out with her family, and she's probably wearing a tie dyed shirt she made herself (she's quite the artist!)Guest Post: Everything You Need for The Perfect Wedding
By Natasha Austero, a professional wedding planner.
We all know that there are some huge decisions to be made when you are planning your wedding: what kind of venue will you choose? Where should you shop to find the perfect dress? What will you do about music? How will you choose the cake? But what many brides and grooms-to-be don’t realize is that there are many small decisions that will go into your wedding as well. What truly makes for a beautiful, unique, and memorable wedding is supreme attention to detail. Does the thought of more planning make you feel overwhelmed? Don’t worry—we’ve got the breakdown of what it takes to make your wedding stand out from the rest.
Stand Out with Personalized Details
Your wedding is a chance to make a statement, celebrate your marriage and, above all, have fun with your family and friends. One way to help your wedding feel more “you” is through personalized details that will express your love and stand out to your guests. I love online retailer Gracious Bridal for their beautiful wedding décor and supplies. From personalized cake toppers to custom coasters, your options are myriad. To get you started, one adorable option is custom napkins. They’re functional, of course, but they are also sweet and stylish. Choose a bright, spirited design for a bridal shower, then opt for something more elegant for your wedding reception. Personalized napkins give you a chance to add your wedding date, names, and even lines of text if you’d like to include a special message to your guests. Play around with the design and be sure to have some fun.
Personalized match boxes are another high-style option for customizing your wedding: they can be practical favors for your guests to slip into their pockets and purses, utilized during your sparkler send off, or even used by groomsmen to light up a celebratory cigar after the couple says I do. Whether your wedding theme is sleek and modern or ornate and romantic, you’ll be sure to find the perfect design, shape, and message to utterly charm your guests.
Send Off Guests with Unique Favors
Wedding favors have long been a part of wedding tradition, so the chance to leave your guests something truly unique can be tricky. One amazing trend that we’re completely on board with is using the wedding favor as a chance to do some good in the world. Trees for a Change is based on the lovely idea that with each customized card that you purchase, a portion of the profit is set aside to plant a native-species tree in a fire-damaged forest. The cards themselves are eco-friendly, and can be printed with the bride and groom’s photo and a special message. On the opposite side of the card, guests will learn that a tree has been planted on their behalf. All in all, it’s a wonderful symbol of life and growth that’s perfect for celebrating your new life together!
Introducing our New Website!
