Top 10 gift ideas for the grieving

Loss is inevitable, but the grief of losing a loved one is unlike any other pain. Lemony Snicket put best when he wrote, “If you have ever lost a loved one, then you know exactly how it feels. And if you have not, then you cannot possibly imagine it.” Even if you had the unpleasant experience of losing someone, everyone grieves differently and no one two relationships are the same so how they grieve the first time experiencing a loss versus a second can be completely different. A way to show a little support while giving your loved one some space is by sending them a thoughtful and well put together care package. You can get a premade or of course put one together of your own. Here are a few simple ideas of what to put in a care package after a death. 

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The Essentials of Grieving

These are just a few basics that tend to be universally useful when dealing with loss. They are staple gifts that will help them manage some of the pain, anxiety, and loss. 

Tissues

Not everyone is crier, but the sting of death can bring misty eyes to anyone, which is 100% okay. There is absolutely nothing wrong with crying. It's a great way to let the sorrow out of a heavy heart. It’s not a bad idea to have some extra tissues laying around and a good encouragement for anyone who’s been holding back tears. 

A book on grief 

Bearing the Unbearable is a great book to put in a care package after death. Image courtesy of Amazon. 

Sometimes trying to grieve in the comfort of your own privacy can be difficult. Take some of the weight off of your loved one’s shoulders by getting Bearing the Unbearable (Love, Loss, and the Heartbreaking Path of Grief) by Joanne Cacciatore. Especially because the healing process can get messing and long. It can be overwhelming to know where to try to start with what this book is for. It’s not a miracle fix, but it's a start to trying to get back to everyday life. This book can help give clinical advice to your loved one. Joanne Cacciatore happened to receive her doctorate from a social science University of Nebraska-Lincoln and her area of expertise is traumatic death, specifically child death. It’s safe to say Cacciatore has great insight on grief, how it affects people, and ways to manage through it.

A scented candle 

When you are grieving anything can take you back to a time when your loved one was still alive for the briefest of seconds in a sweet memory. Sometimes it’s an object or place, but also it could be a scent. Scented candles at best will bring a delightful memory, if not it just smells nice and is relaxing. These pillar candles have a sleek  look and many scents to choose from. Check out a few of our Yankee Candle favorites: 

• Flowers in the Sun- a refreshing scent that reminds us of nature’s beauty, a beautiful sun kissed day in happier times. These are also really great for anyone who loves gardening. 
• Midsummer Nights- recalls boisterous laughter under the twinkly stars. Perfect for the night outdoorsy night owl in your life.
• Home Sweet Home- ushers in memories being the safe cool place of home. This will jazz up even the gloomiest of houses. 
• Seaside Woods- invokes recollection of outdoors fun or gentle days spent in a cozy cabin or cottage. This scent is perfect for the camping type.
• Sugared Cinnamon- reminiscent of making sweets in the kitchen! This delicious scent will bring fun found memories of some delectable cinnamon-y pastry. 
• Blush bouquet- presents pleasant memories of special occasions. Besides flower candles bring such a light and airy scent anywhere they’re lit.

Gift card to cleaning service

Cleaning is enough of a chore in and of itself. Cleaning after experiencing loss especially if you’ve lived with said person it’s even harder. Give the gift of a mental cleaning break by paying for gift service via gift card or with the help of your friend’s scheduling just pay directly. The emotions that come with handling the death of a loved one can be all consuming making it tricky to take care of every day busy work. That’s why it’s the perfect gift to put in care package after death. 

The foods and meals

Dealing with death can take mental, physical, and emotional toll on someone making daily tasks more difficult than expected. Not only that it can lead to some stress eating or emotional eating so having a few prepared foods around certainly wouldn’t hurt. 

Mrs Fields with Sympathy Combo Tin

Mrs. Fields Sympathy Combo Tin is the perfect stuffer for a care package after a death. Image courtesy of Care Packages.

Nothing provides solace like a few baked treats. These yummy delights will be a blessing from afar. A few tiny cookies  for a quick bite hit the spot. The brownie bites will give them that chocolate they crave. While the sugar cookies provide a bigger bite for when the munchies set in.  Another plus, is that it is Kosher Certified great for anyone with a stricter diet. This pretty tin of goodies is a pick me up that says  you are thinking of them. The breakdown of this 32 piece treat set is as follows: 18 Nibblers® Bite-Sized Cookies, 12 mouth-watering brownie bites and 2 frosted round cookies that pack a big punch. It’s enough to feed a grieving household or sustain those who live by themselves.

Food Delivery Service Gift Card

 Mourning is a busy time. There is much to do and minutes are precious.   Sometimes being engaged in details or just being overwhelmed by sorrow gives little time for meal planning.. Casseroles are nice, but you have to heat them up. Why not give them a meal that comes to them? These services provide meals from popular restaurants direct to their door. You know you will be getting them something they like, because they get to choose the restaurant. Give a gift card for one of these food delivery services, GrubHub, UberEats, Postmates, or DoorDash. Make sure to leave enough money on there for a tip to the driver as well! It will be a much appreciated touch to the gift receiver. 

Gourmet Meat and Cheese Sampler Deluxe

This sampler is a great care package for someone dealing with a death. Image courtesy of Care Packages.

This actually an example of a care package you can buy and get shipped out to your friend easy peasy lemon squeezy. This is perfect because meat and cheese while a delicious savory treat is just not utilized in day to day life. What's wonderful about this product is that it is a great way to manage the emotional eating that occurs when in mourning. It's a small treat that goes a long way into filling up stomachs. Not to mention this perfect for the savory tooth friends you might have. It’s also less common to send savory treats out than sweets so it’ll definitely stand out from the rest of the gifts received. This yummy meat and cheese care package comes with the following: 

• Summer sausage
• Garlic sausage
• Stoned Wheat Crackers
• Sea Salt & Cracked Pepper Water Crackers
• Monterey jack jalapeno cheese
• Savory garlic cheddar cheese
• Spicy cheddar & veggie cheese
• Ultra sharp cheddar cheese
• Sun dried tomatoes.

The comforting gifts

Comfort is always something welcomed with open arms by everyone. The grief of a death takes away a lot from a person and the feeling of comfort is certainly one of them. Help your loved one take back the comfort levels in their life with a few gifts to help bring them that warm and fuzzy feeling from within. 

Weighted blanket

A weighted is great because it combines to favorite comfort stimuli: something soft and fuzzy and a physical touch element. The weight from the blanket basically makes it feel like you’re wrapped in a swaddle or a really tight snuggle. Not to mention that research has shown weighted blankets are great for handling insomnia and anxiety which are two things that can be triggered when experiencing a death of a loved one. 

Hershey hugs and kisses

Hershey hugs and kisses are a delightful treat to pack into a care package after a death. Image courtesy of Hersheys.

Chocolate is literally almost never the wrong treat to give to someone. Chocolate is a pretty well known food that will boost endorphins in the brain stimulating happiness as well as being incredibly delicious. What better way to give a little love from far away by gifting out Hershey’s chocolate hugs and/or kisses! While your loved one might not be the touchy feely type this will be a great way to send the sentiment of physical affection without the actual ritual itself. Keep in mind Hershey’s hugs, as pictured above, contain milk chocolate being “hugged” by a little bit of white chocolate. If your friend isn’t big on either of the types you might be better off sticking to their preferred flavor of hershey kisses.

Bubble bath + bath bombs 

These can be a relaxing gift to lift someone’s spirits. A step that’s easy to skip in self-care is actually taking a shower or bath. Help motivate them with a few fun bathtime extras to make it something to look forward to! Besides running a hot bath will be a great way to unwind from after a stressful day. Especially if you leave a little note telling them to enjoy a nice glass of wine when they take their bath. Wine and bath is the ultimate comfort combo. 

These are just a few brainstorms for you of what to put in a care package best. You ultimately know the grieving the best and will best know what to put in the package. Although anything that will show your friends that they are on your mind will be a great gift in and of itself. Everything else is just the cherries on top! 

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