It is never easy to lose a loved one. It's extremely difficult when that loved one is your life partner or significant other. Those initial few days and weeks after losing a spouse are the most difficult.
The only thing that makes these awful moments bearable is the support of those you care about the most. If your loved one is a newly widowed or bereaved widow, the perfect sympathy Christmas gift can go a long way. Many of these people want to express themselves and be heard.
Though it can be difficult to know what to say to a bereaved widow, a thoughtful gift and the proper message can mean more than you realize. It makes all the difference to be there for someone who is in need. If you're at a loss for what to do for a loved one at this terrible time, consider these meaningful Christmas gifts for widowers or grieving widows.
1. Home cooked meal
Sometimes the best gifts are your time and a home-cooked dinner. This could be a difficult day for your loved one. Even though it is a time for celebration, it is also a time for mourning.
Being present for them on this day and preparing one of their favorite meals is the ideal gesture. Choose a dinner they enjoy, preferably something comfortable, and spend Christmas with them.
2. Memorial jewelry
If your loved one has their deceased spouse's lock of hair or cremated remains, you can send them in to be turned into a memorial diamond. After a consultation and a few months of waiting for the diamond to grow, you'll have a unique diamond that may be put in a ring, necklace, or other piece of jewelry.
3. Journal and pen
The best Christmas gifts for widowers are sometimes the simplest: contemplation and time. It's acceptable if your loved one isn't ready to talk about their loss with you.
A journal and a beautiful pen provide kids with the space and security they need to express their emotions.
4. Plant
Plants represent renewal and newness. While sending flowers to express your condolences after a loss is common, flowers are only ephemeral. A compassion plant can live for many years, possibly hundreds of years. A tree, tiny plant, or even a succulent is a beautiful monument to life and remember.
5. Self-care items
It's difficult to find time for oneself after a loss. By giving your loved one self-care items such as bath bombs, soaps, and oils, you are reminding them of the significance of prioritizing yourself.
After losing someone so close, the holidays and Christmas may be especially painful. Because these close family members are the ones who assist us celebrate the holidays, it's natural for them to change after the death of a spouse. During these Christmas gifts for widowers, you can help with this time of year.
6. Warm blanket
Few things in life are as soothing as a warm blanket. Having something warm to wrap oneself in on those frigid nights makes all the difference. Get him or her something that can be used in all seasons as a reminder that comfort is always available.
7. Baked goods
Receiving baked goods throughout the holiday season has a unique meaning. Make some of your favorites if you're a talented baker. If not, go to your local bakery to choose the proper selection for them. When you're feeling sad, reaching for a sweet treat might be really beneficial.
8. Streaming service
The holidays may be difficult, especially when surrounded by so many reminders of loved ones and years gone by. The holidays just don't feel the same as they used to.
Give your favorite streaming service to take your loved one's mind off problems during these difficult times. A few hours of escape via TV and film on Netflix or Hulu can provide them with time to rejuvenate just in time for the season.
9. Book or ebook
A book or ebook that they can turn to when they need to escape to another planet is another nice distraction.
Even if the story has nothing to do with grief or loss, putting yourself in the shoes of another character in a cherished story can be helpful.
10. Care package
A care package is a terrific suggestion for a grieving widow around Christmas if you have the time to make it yourself.
A care package with self-care items, favorite foods, movies, or even just small trinkets is a fun, useful Christmas gift for widowers to receive.
11. Photo album
A photo album is a terrific DIY memorial present if you believe your loved one is ready to go down memory lane. Make a little book with your best images of the deceased, family members, and joyful recollections.
Fill in the blanks and don't be scared to make this memory album truly your own. Leave blank pages so they can add fresh memories. Their narrative is far from finished.
12. Candle
Many people like to light candles to remember their loved ones on special days. Lighting a personalized candle on the anniversary of a death or a wedding allows for quiet meditation.
Encourage them to use that time writing a message to their spouse, journaling, or creating a monument.
13. Charity donation
Charity is always a wonderful thing, but it takes on added significance after a loss. Giving money or services to a charitable organization is a heartfelt way to commemorate a wedding or funeral anniversary.
Bring together friends and family for a day of fundraising, volunteering, and exchanging memories. If you are unable to assemble in person, try creating a memorial fundraising page on a platform such as Everloved.
14. Photo frame
A high-quality, traditional photo frame is a simple, low-cost Christmas gift. Having a few images to remind them of their loved one is very meaningful during these trying times. They can remember their spouse with a frame they can see every day.
15. Heartfelt letter
A meaningful condolence letter could mean the world to them if you're not afraid to wear your heart on your sleeve. Write about your feelings for your loved one and their bravery.
Remind them that you will always be there for them, even in the difficult times ahead. This is something kids will remember for a long time.
16. Cleaning service
If you live near a cleaning service, get your loved one a gift card to help them with daily activities they can't keep up with. Their sadness and sentiments take precedence, so housework takes a back seat for a while.
If you don't have a trusted local agency, offer to help them around the house in whatever way they require. You may clean up their living space, wash their laundry, or simply be Christmas gifts for widowers.
17. Groceries
Another thing you can do to assist them during these first few weeks is to do their grocery shopping for them. Whether you buy a grocery delivery gift card or do the shopping yourself, this frees up their time to focus on what is more important.
18. Flowers
Don't underestimate the significance of condolence flowers. Even in the darkest of times, a beautiful bouquet serves as a reminder of life's beauty. Don't just stick to funeral flowers. To demonstrate your concern, select their favorite flowering arrangement and accompany it with a sincere message.
19. Coffee or tea
The first few days and weeks are the most difficult. It's common for your loved one to be low on energy when life seems to drag them down further. Giving them your favorite coffee and a warm mug will enable them to accomplish the impossible every morning: wake up and keep going.
20. Memorial box
Finally, give them a memory box to fill with all of their possessions. They are experiencing a lot of conflicting emotions at this moment. They require a location to preserve items that are meaningful to them, particularly when sifting through their spouse's belongings. A memorial box provides a safe place for them to remember and grieve.
21. Give Food Gift Cards
Even if your recently widowed friend receives meals on a regular basis, a gift card to a neighborhood restaurant is a sensible present suggestion. Give your bereaved friend a gift card to a restaurant you know she (or her children, or both) would use to avoid self-isolation and get her out of the house.
A Red Robin gift card was given to me by a friend. I recall spending a wonderful night away from home with my boys for the first time since my husband died. It felt great to come out of the house, be with other people, and share a meal.
You are not even need to immediately provide a restaurant or food gift card. This alternative should be presented 3-6 months following her spouse's death. By then, all of the well-wishers had returned to their regular lives. The widow will be delighted to learn that others are still thinking about her long after her spouse's death.
22. Provide A Portable Phone Charger
In the throes of grief, widows often forget to do many things.
I can't tell you how many times my phone died due to a lack of charging. The worst aspect was that my phone would die in inconvenient locations like my son's wrestling match or the grocery store.
A portable phone charger that she may carry in her purse for emergency charges is a very practical Christmas gift for widowers. This is a Christmas gift for widowers who would never think of it for themselves, but she will remember you every time she needs to charge her phone when she least expects it.
23. Contribute A Gas Gift Card
A gas gift card is an extremely valuable gift for a widowed mom who is now dragging kids around all by herself and becomes overwhelmed with all of her responsibilities, and whose car guzzles petrol like there's no tomorrow.
Now that your widowed friend is doing everything on her own, and since doing everything on her own overwhelms her, and because she forgets to do things because her overwhelm is too much on some days, she occasionally forgets to fill gas in her car.
When she's almost out of gas and swings into the gas station just in time, she'll be grateful to you for gifting her with a gas gift card to balance the outrageous expenses she's dealing with on her own right now.
24. Arrange Delivery Of A Widow Self-care Support Box
With a Filled with Gold self-care box, you may make your bereaved friend feel supported and encouraged. Each box contains things chosen by widows to promote resilience and self-love, providing the hope and healing that every widow requires.
You can pick for a one-time gift box or a six or 12 month subscription. Each month, the themes and contents change, ensuring that each box has a pleasant surprise.
25. Help Around The House
If you or someone you know can assist a widow with one or more of the numerous household management tasks that require her attention, you will be doing a priceless service.
Tasks like lawn care, repairing a leaking faucet, and changing furnace filters are likely new to your widowed buddy. Taking care of these critical things for her in the beginning is a lifesaver. Many of these duties would go unfinished without your assistance.
However, I do not recommend that you sign up for these tasks indefinitely. Another excellent method to assist is to teach your bereaved friend how to conduct some more basic things yourself. Maybe perform them for her a few times and then show her how to do them on her own till she gets the swing of it.
26. Gift a Grief Coach Subscription
Checking in with a recent widow is an excellent way to show your support. You'd be shocked how often widows feel alone and abandoned because people stop calling or texting them. It is normal for widows to stop receiving the vitally needed support since everyone else returns to their life and the widow feels left behind.
A one-year gift subscription to Grief Coach is the ideal way to assist your widowed friend. Your friend will receive customized text messages at least twice a week with grief suggestions and support. Grief Coach personalized text messages based on the cause of death and other factors. Furthermore, each membership covers up to four persons who wish to support the widow in her grief. Just like you! As a member of her support team, you will also receive SMS messages with specific methods to assist.
27. An Essential Oil Diffuser Or Bracelet
A widow has a stress level that is at the top of the Holmes-Rahe Life Stress Inventory. The death of a spouse is the most stressful event in a person's life.
You can assist your recently widowed friend by providing her with essential oils to help her relax when worry attacks.
A lava rock bracelet or an essential oil diffuser are two excellent Christmas gift choices. The diffuser will provide a relaxing atmosphere in any room. With just a few drops of essential oil, the porous lava stones on the bracelet diffuse a soothing smell all day.
28. Give blank Journals Gel pens
Journaling is a fantastic method for widows to work with their grief. We don't always know what we're feeling or why we're feeling it. There are so many conflicting feelings that we can't always figure out what's going on in our heads.
However, via the writing process, a widow can unearth the cause of her sorrow and get some clarity. Jumbled feelings might sometimes become clearer once the writer puts them on paper. A widow might also detect trends and positive improvement over time by journaling.
Giving your bereaved friend a nice lined journal and some good quality pens is a terrific way to get her started on her path to self-reflection.
29. Offer To Babysit
If your recently widowed friend has children, she will appreciate a respite. If time allows, please consider taking the kids off her hands for a few hours or overnight. You can be of great assistance by:
- Taking the children to sports practice.
- Assisting with homework.
- Organizing a pleasant outing for the kids.
- Purchasing school supplies.
Your widowed friend is currently buried in obligations. She will be forever grateful to you any time you can assist her with her never-ending child-rearing responsibilities.
30. Goop Emotional Detox Bath Soak
Few things beat a long, hot bath for at-home wellness. Crowe proposes writing a note that says something like, "I'm not sure what might give you peace in this time, but baths always help me." Himalayan pink salts soothe sore muscles and wild-crafted frankincense calms the mind in this bath soak. Rio Viera-Newton, Strategist beauty writer, and Tabitha Simmons, shoe designer, both love it.
31. Trapper Wool Throw
Let's suggest a cozy throw blanket to give people in mourning comfort through those early days. "You may have a hundred blankets, but this one was a Christmas gift for widowers to provide comfort," she explains. "Who couldn't benefit from one additional throw blanket?" Decorist creative director Jessica McCarthy recommends a wool throw from Minnesota-based firm Faribault Woolen Mill for a warm blanket that will last for years. "It's the kind of blanket that's meant to last for generations and is still created today in a historic factory," she explains.
32. Bearaby Cotton Napper
We've already discussed the calming effects of weighted blankets, and Maidenberg believes this is an ideal setting for one. Using one, she says, "feels like you're being embraced." It's a method to console your friend even if you can't do so in person right now. One of our favorite gifts is the woven Baby blanket, which also looks great draped over a sofa or favorite chair.
33. Headspace App - One Year Gift Subscription
"Mindfulness practices can assist us in exploring our grief-related feelings, creating a place for healing from our loss, and working toward acceptance," Brennan explains. Along with meditations oriented toward sleep, which Brennan says is sometimes disrupted during these stressful times, she enjoys that the Headspace app has a specialized grief program.
34. Grief Yoga Online Course
Cohen suggests a gift card for virtual Grief Yoga lessons for the mourning friend who is also interested in yoga. Grief Yoga is a type of yoga that combines movement and breathing techniques with emotional release. She has customers who "swear by it" for coping with bereavement, she says.
35. Memory Bear
It's remarkable how many various types of memorial gifts are available. One kind Christmas gift for widowers is having someone build a memory bear out of your loved one's old t-shirt. I simply went to Etsy and put in my memory bear, and a plethora of possibilities appeared. This is especially sweet for a family with younger children who have lost a parent.
36. Add Food Storage Containers For Leftovers
When your newly widowed friend receives more meals than she can eat in one day (or one week), give her some freezer-safe food storage containers. She’ll need to divvy up all the leftovers into manageable portions, so give her a good head start. As a bonus, throw in some food storage labels so she doesn’t forget what she packaged in the leftover containers!
37. Photo Lantern
It uses high-quality metal lanterns. For the quotes and photos, it has specialty translucent paper that allows a candle to glow through and light the lantern beautifully. These inserts are NOT glued in. Gluing tends to cause gapping and bubbling in the future. These are cut and applied to the lantern and CAN be changed out in the future!
38. Widow Tumbler
Insulated Drinkware is Fantastic for Travel. It keeps your drink hot or cold and better for the environment.
39. Coloring Book for Stress Relief
This adult coloring book is designed just for stress people. Allow her some time to enjoy it, or drop by with a glass of wine and color with her.
40. Face Mask Brush Set
People are more likely than ever before to do their own face treatments and skincare routines at home. These cute tiny applicators are a wonderful tool to use while applying their preferred masks. The lightweight and portable silicone jelly brush is an indispensable tool for evenly applying your preferred mask to your face without wasting any of the priceless product in the process.
41. Bamboo Bathtub Caddy Tray
Make the widower's relaxation time even better with this beautiful bathtub caddy, where she can place candles or a glass of wine while she takes a bubble bath.
42. Back and Neck Massager
This heated shiatsu pillow massager is exactly what she needs to relax and soothe sore muscles at the end of a long day.
43. Oversized Rib Knit Throw
If the widower is continually adjusting the thermostat, this blanket is like a warm sweater she'll never want to take off. It's also large enough for her to share with you at movie night!
44. Waffle Robe
This soft Turkish cotton robe is offered in seven soothing colors, and it dries quickly after being washed. It is the ideal companion for a day spent relaxing in the comfort of your own home.
45. Water and Soda Maker
If she likes fizzy beverages, this bundle will be her best buddy, second only to you. The package includes bottles for storing her fizzy creations in the fridge. Nobody will ever confuse her seltzer with water again!
