Guest Gifts/Mementos
Oftentimes, the family offers a small gift or memento to guests
attending a funeral or memorial service. Traditionally, prayer
cards are placed by the guest book for visitors to take and keep.
Here are some other options of personal, tangible items that will
remind guests of the deceased.
A personalized service program
A nicely-designed service program makes a lovely keepsake if it
has good color photographs and some personal information about the
deceased. Click here for ideas on making a memorable service program .
Personal Memento
Creative gifts should reflect the person you are honoring. You
can turn a photograph of the deceased into a laminated bookmark.
This is a special way to keep the deceased who loved to read close
to those who loved her. If they loved to garden, then perhaps you
could give guests packets of wildflower seeds.
Recipes
You can enlist those who would like to show their support to
bake the famous brownie or lemon squares recipe that your mother
made. Sending baked treats home in a little bag with the recipe
tied on with a pretty ribbon will help keep her memory alive. Or
you can send children to the beach to gather scallop shells and
send those back along with the grilled scallops recipe your dad
always made. These ideas present great opportunities to accept
offers of help from friends or to keep the children busy and
involved at a difficult time.
Candles
Candles make a great gift, and lighting them to keep the
deceased's memory alive is symbolically a lovely act. Customized
matches can be printed with personal messages, or even a name and
date.
Symbolic Jewelry
Bracelets are a popular way to show support and memorialize the
deceased. It can be as simple as a silicone bracelet with a
personal message or an aluminum, stainless steel or leather cuff
engraved with their name on it.
