Providing comfort to those closest to you can come in many different forms. In this article, we are focusing on one way in particular: creating a personalized remembrance gift. Personalized remembrance gifts and memorial keepsakes can highlight your loved one’s unique interests, the shining facets of their personality, and, overall, celebrate the beauty of their life. Sharing your love for someone who has passed through a remembrance gift of your creation is one way to help provide comfort to family and friends who cherish your loved one’s memory.
A Remembrance Gift From You
In this article, we will talk about remembrance gifts that can be created with the help of friends and family, as well as gifts that can be purchased and personalized. But we’ll start with ideas for a remembrance gift that is something special from you to your friends or family.
- Framed Music, Movie, or Book – A popular remembrance gift is a framed photo of your loved one. One idea we’re providing is to take the concept of a framed item a step further by thinking of your loved one’s favorite things. Did they have a song they absolutely loved? A movie they would quote all the time? Or a book that inspired them? Framing sheet music, a movie poster, or a copy of a book cover is one way to memorialize not only your loved one but something they enjoyed.
- Plant or Flowers – A gift that lives on, growing and evolving through time, that honors your loved one’s life well-lived can come in the form of a plant. A starting place for picking out the type of plant you will use as your remembrance gift is with your loved one’s favorite plant, favorite color, or a plant they kept themselves. Plants and flowers can bring together the beauty of life and the memory of your loved one.
Collectively-Created Remembrance Gifts
Conducting a group effort to create a remembrance gift for friends or family can be a very special time for those involved. The following three ideas involve gathering physical items, putting forth creativity, and joining in to work together.
- Scrapbook – While scrapbooks can be made individually, a group-created scrapbook can provide the opportunity to include more facets of your loved one’s life. Each person will likely have different pictures from different moments in time. Bringing them together in a single scrapbook can beautifully capture the uniqueness of your loved one. Additionally, scrapbooks can include more than pictures. You may consider using swatches of fabric or pressed flowers to add special touches.
- Memory Book – You can create a memory book by starting a journal that is filled in by one friend or family member at a time with passages that collectively result in capturing the memorable moments of your loved one’s life. Journals can be purchased at almost any bookstore or online, with many beautiful colors and designs to choose from. So, even choosing a journal cover that reflects your loved one’s personality can make the memory book all that much more personalized.
- Memorial Garden – You might consider joining your friends and family together for an uplifting day outdoors by planning a memorial garden. The location, types of plants used, and decorative elements of the garden can be personalized to the unique tastes and interests of your loved one. Spending quality time with friends and family in dedication to your loved one can also inspire a unique and meaningful celebration of life.
Custom-Made Remembrance Gifts
Sometimes a personalized remembrance gift may involve a little extra help. The internet provides plenty of options for unique ways to memorialize your loved one’s legacy. For example, a projection necklace captures a photo within the small jewel of a necklace so the wearer can carry their loved one’s smile with them always. Engraved items, like photo frames, jewelry, wind chimes, and decorative keepsakes, often allow you to document your loved one’s name, favorite quote, or a date of significance on a keepsake. A little help goes a long way in creating something special to remember your loved one by.
For more tips on gifts, writing sympathy cards, creating celebration of life invitations, and more, browse the Lighten Blog. If you’re planning a celebration of life for your loved one or pre-planning your own, Lighten can help.
