During the holiday season, it’s tough for families not to have their deceased loved ones by their side.

By hosting a holiday remembrance event, your funeral home can bring families together to honor their loved ones. But you can even take it a step further by giving families a memento to remember their loved one by.

These eight memorial ideas are all thoughtful gifts to give families at your annual holiday remembrance event.

1. Ornament

Ornaments are simple, yet meaningful gifts for families. At your event, fill a remembrance tree with ornaments personalized with the name and birth and death dates of families’ loved ones. Then after the event, you can give each family their loved one’s ornament as a memento. You also can give them an informational brochure if they’re interested in purchasing additional ornaments for loved ones.

2. Personalized Memento

Small mementos are another touching tribute gift, such as memorial stones engraved with their loved one’s name and birth and death dates. Or, if you want to take it a step further, you can make handmade mementos.

It can be as easy as saving a single flower petal from funeral floral arrangements. For example, you can dry flower petals by placing them in between book pages with absorbent paper. Just make sure you keep track of which family’s flower petal is on what page. Then once they’re dry, you can create frame-pressed flower petal mementos to give to families.

3. Holiday Remembrance Card

A classic holiday tradition is giving your family and friends cards. Your funeral home can follow this tradition by giving families holiday remembrance cards. Inside it, write a personal message expressing your sympathy for their loss. You also can mention that your funeral home’s staff is there for them and include information about your grief resources.

4. Holiday-Themed Quote or Poem

Printing off holiday-themed remembrance poems or quotes is another special memento idea. Plus, it’s perfect for busy funeral directors that don’t have a lot of free time. Selecting a poem or quote and printing copies takes only a matter of minutes. And one of your funeral home’s staff members can read it out loud at your holiday remembrance event.

5. Treat Bag

One of the best parts about the holiday season is all the delicious treats. Your funeral home can give families bags filled with holiday treats such as cookies, chocolates, candy canes, and other goodies. It’s a small gesture that will brighten their holiday season and put a smile on their face. Just be sure to include ingredient information to avoid any allergic reactions.

6. Holiday Recipe Book

Ask your families who are attending your holiday remembrance event to submit their loved one’s favorite holiday recipe. Then, you can use the recipes to make holiday recipe books and give families copies at your event. You also can serve some of the dishes at your event and label them with their loved one’s name.

7. Donation to a Charity

Another memorial gift idea is to make a donation to a charity in the name of families’ loved ones. It’s a meaningful way to honor them and make a difference. You can announce the donation at your event and give families certificates stating it’s in honor of their loved one.

8. Memorial Poster

Your funeral home can create a memorial poster by having families write their loved one’s name on it. At the top of the poster, write “In memory of” and put the year. Then, you can frame or hang up the poster to display in your funeral home.

Also, you can take a photo of it to share on your funeral home’s social media pages. This way, families have a copy of it and you also gain more social media followers.

What other holiday mementos does your funeral home give your families? Share your examples in the comment section below!