Memorial Ornaments

The first Christmas after losing someone comes with a question nobody prepares you for: what to do about the tree. The familiar ornaments may all go back in their usual places, or the box may stay closed a little longer. A new ornament with the person’s name gives them a visible place among whatever does go up.

There is no single right way to do this, and the designs reflect that. Some carry the name and both years. Some hold a photograph. Some are just a cardinal on a branch, and only the family knows what it means. The choice can begin with the detail you are ready to see on the tree.

What goes on a memorial ornament

A memorial ornament can carry any combination of these:

• The name. On its own it is already enough, and some families stop there.
• The years. "1950-2022," or only the birth year. More on this just below.
• A short line. "In loving memory," "Always with us," or something only your family says. The wording guide collects forty options by relationship and tone.
• A photo from a year when they look recognizably like themselves. It can be older than the photographs everyone saw most recently.
• Their handwriting. Some shops can engrave a line lifted from an old card or a recipe.

One date or two

The full span, "1950-2022," keeps the life dates together. If the second date draws more attention than you want, use the name alone, the name with the birth year, or a line in place of dates. Some designs can put both years on the back, where the record remains with the ornament without becoming the first thing you read.

Cardinals, hummingbirds, angels

A memorial ornament can carry no text at all. The red cardinal draws on the saying that a loved one is near. A hummingbird may belong to someone who filled the feeder every spring or was remembered for never sitting still. An angel suits a family that already uses that image or language. The symbol can remain private on the branch, with the name and years kept on the back or left off entirely.

With a photo

Photo designs carry the face beside the name. Choose a clear picture from the chest up, from a year when the person looks recognizably like themselves, and use a listing that shows the crop in a preview before production.

Giving one as a sympathy gift

A memorial ornament is one of the few sympathy gifts meant for later. The flowers arrive in the first week; the ornament matters in December. If you give one, give it early in the season, so the family can decide for themselves whether it goes up this year. And if it does not, nothing went wrong. Some ornaments wait a year or two in the box and go up when the family is ready.