The first twelve months of grief can be overwhelming for anyone, especially after the funeral guests have left and consoling friends and family have already returned to their respective lives. Although it is during the first year of grief that a person may need steady emotional support from trusted friends and family, physical presence and day-to-day help may not always be feasible. Oftentimes, bereaved individuals will be left alone to process their grief within the very first year of mourning.

If you find it impossible to be physically present with a bereaved friend or family member, there are other ways for you to show your care and comfort.  One of these is to send sympathy gifts or sympathy care packages. These gifts can be in the form of remembrance keepsakes, travel-friendly tokens, and even garden items. There are also items that help in meditation and prayer.

But how do you know which gifts or tokens to give them, especially within their first year of bereavement? What makes the first year markedly different from other years to come?

A Quick Guide to Picking Sympathy Gifts within the First Year

Outlined below is a helpful guide that can help you pick the right items especially during the first few challenging months after an irreparable loss.

  • Choose something that commemorates a special date
    Within the first year itself, the bereaved individual will have to deal with the first week or the first month of being alone in their personal grief. In the first year, too, s/he will have to celebrate holidays and birthdays in the absence of the deceased loved one. To let them know that they are not alone in their remembrance, you may send them something that helps them to commemorate a special date, such as Christmas or an anniversary.
  • Memorial items can come in handy during the first year
    Some people may start planning a memorial or a commemorative effort within the first year of their bereavement. From garden memorials to putting up a charity in memory of the lost loved one, these gestures of remembering can vary in nature and scope. However, you can find opportunities here for your gift-giving efforts. For garden memorials, you can send rose plants or memorial trees. You may also give a charity donation in the name of the bereaved friend’s loved one.
  • Food or day-to-day items
    In the first few weeks following the funeral, a bereaved individual may not have the same energy to keep doing the things s/he used to do before the loss. This is why sending over food items and other essentials can be a huge help. Cooked casseroles, ready-to-eat snacks, and personal care items are just some of the things you can offer other than your physical presence.
  • Pick something that they can bring outdoors
    It may also be within the first year that any grieving person will take the first few steps into healing and moving on. If you have heard that your friend or colleague is planning to travel somewhere, why not gift them with a comfort shawl or a handy personal care package that they can take with them? You can also pick an inspirational book that they can read while on vacation in some familiar or entirely new place. These handy items can be instrumental in helping someone pick up their lives after a devastating experience of loss.

 

Visit the Comfort Company to Find Versatile and Meaningful Sympathy Gifts

The Comfort Company helps you discover a wide variety of sympathy gifts and care packages conveniently online. You may search for memorial jewelry items, gift certificates, or even sympathy gifts that commemorate holidays such as Christmas.

The first year of grief can be a challenging phase to experience, but simple gestures from well-meaning friends and family can make it more bearable.

To view our sympathy gift offerings here at the Comfort Company, click here.

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