Traditional Ways to Send Condolences

How to Convey Your Sympathy to Someone Who Has Experienced a Loss

Oct 29, 2009

There are many time-honored ways to send your sympathy to someone who has experienced a loss. Some ideas include sending a card, letter, flowers or making a donation.

When someone experiences a loss of a loved one or another type of loss, many people want to extend their sympathy and condolences, that they are thinking of the person during their time of sorrow.

There are many different ways – some more traditional others more contemporary – to express your condolences to someone who has experienced a loss.

Traditional Ways to Send Condolences

The more traditional ways include sending a sympathy card or flowers, writing a condolence note or letter, making a donation in memory of the person or attending the memorial or funeral service.

Send a Condolence Card

Sending a condolence card is one of the fastest, traditional ways of sending one's sympathy. There are many beautiful sympathy cards that can be purchased to send. The card can be signed using a heartfelt expression of sympathy such as: With Deepest Sympathy, My Sincere Sympathy, Sympathies from us all or With Heartfelt Condolences.

Sending a card when you first hear about a loss or a death is a good way to demonstrate your support and that you are sharing their loss.

Send Flowers

Sending flowers are one of the most beautiful, traditional expressions of sympathy, particularly after a death. Flowers can be sent as to the home, to the office and to the church or funeral home in many different arrangements. While there seems to be a movement towards asking for donations to a cause, sending flowers is still a very beautiful way to convey one's sympathy.

Write a Condolence Note

There may be times when sending a sympathy card is too little and sending a more formal condolence letter is too much. At these times writing a short personal note and sending it on formal stationery or in a beautiful card is a good option. For more on what to include in a condolence note read Write a Condolence Note or a Sympathy Note.

Write a Condolence Letter

Writing a condolence letter is the most formal expression of sympathy. There are many times when a formal condolence letter is sent. Some include the death of someone in the military, the death of a patient or the death of a coworker or employee. A more formal letter can be sent by anyone wanting to convey their sympathies and share reminisces about the person who has died. For more help on how to write a sympathy letter to send read Writing a Condolence Letter.

Make a Donation

Making a donation in memory of the person who has died to a favorite charity, hopefully one named by the family, is another way to conveying one's sympathies that can also make a difference.

Attend the Memorial or Funeral Service

Taking the time to attend any memorial or funeral services is a one of the most supportive ways to show your condolences. The action of making the time to be at a service truly conveys heartfelt sympathies, even more than words can.

Choosing a Traditional Ways to Send Condolences

Even with all of the new technology the tried and true ways of sending one's sympathy for a loss like sending a sympathy card, condolence note, letter or flowers are still among the best ways of sending condolences. Making a donation in memory of the person or attending any services are other ways of conveying one's sympathies.

The copyright of the article Traditional Ways to Send Condolences in Improving Relationships is owned by Kirsti A. Dyer. Permission to republish Traditional Ways to Send Condolences in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.