7 Thoughtful and Sweet Sympathy Gift Ideas

Giving flowers serves as a reminder that someone is thinking of you, creating a soothing gesture of love and support during a difficult time. Flowers signal to your loved ones that they do not have to go through this hardship alone.

Flowers such as lilies, roses, carnations, orchids, gladioli, and chrysanthemums are traditionally used for sympathy. However, you don't have to stick to just those types. If you know the recipient has a preference for a particular kind of flower, give them a bouquet of those instead. The most common color for sympathy flowers is white due to its association with righteousness and purity.

Representative of the fleeting nature of life, sympathy flowers can help you illustrate your love and respect to grieving friends and family.

During a time of grief, family members are likely to be worn down by stress and lack of sleep, and tend to eat a lot of rich foods they normally wouldn’t eat. However, if there is a basket of fruit at home, they may be more inclined to pick something out of it when they pass by, which helps them stay healthy — and even hydrated — without even thinking about it. If the grieving family has children, they, too, may be eating nothing but junk food, so parents will appreciate having fruit sent for the children.

Taking care of the family and friends left behind by making sure they have something healthy to eat during a challenging time is a beautiful way to show them you’re looking out for their well-being.

When you’re grieving, thinking about eating can be difficult. Grief sends you into a whirlwind of emotions and can make it hard to set aside time to sit down for a meal. So, if you have a family member or loved one who is grieving, a gift basket filled with their favorite snacks is a perfect way to show your support. Not only that, it can help with the responsibility of feeding mourners and their guests in their time of grief.

From meat and cheese assortments to breakfast pastry trays, and build-a-sandwich kits to seafood platters, a gift of food and drink often is the best comfort and a great way to let someone know you're thinking about them from afar.