A former social worker offers guidelines and gift suggestions to assist those who will be buying a gift for someone who is grieving this holiday season.
Geneva, IL (PRWEB) November 16, 2004 -- With an estimated 30 million Americans grieving for someone important in their lives, chances are high that on every holiday list, somebody will be opening their gifts with a tinge of sadness this Christmas or Hanukkah. A remembrance ornament, memorial tree or an engraved garden stone or bench can help ease the pain of celebrating the holiday without their loved one, suggests Renee Wood, a former neonatal intensive care social worker who now sells sympathy and remembrance gifts online through The Comfort Company (www.thecomfortcompany.net).
Sending a small gift that says I remember" is comforting and doesnt have to be complicated", says Wood who offers the following guidelines when choosing a gift for someone who is grieving:
• Select a gift that speaks directly to their loss rather than trying to minimize it.
• When possible, send a gift or card personalized with their loved ones name.
• Remember those who have lost loved ones in years past, not just the newly bereaved.
Tree ornaments are a wonderful way to acknowledge a loss in a simple way, suggests Wood. Her company currently offers six memorial ornaments including a 2004 Limited Edition heart which reads You will live in my heart forever", a Loss of a Child ornament, a dove of peace with the verse, May your memories of this season come on gentle wings to bring you peace", and a heart ornament with the wording, Your life was a blessing, your memory a treasure....You are loved beyond words and missed beyond measure...".
More unusual are The Comfort Companys tear bottles, an item popular during Victorian times, when mourners would collect their tears in ornate bottles. The mourning period would end when the tears evaporated from the bottle.
Other appropriate gift suggestions include:
• A candle to be lit in honor of their loved one.
• A journal or album for recording memories.
• A piece of jewelry that links them to their loved one.
• A book on grief you feel would be uplifting.
The Comfort Company offers over 140 unique remembrance gifts now available for holiday shipping. For more information, visit www.thecomfortcompany.net.
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