Shopping for men can be notoriously tricky under normal circumstances, which could make selecting meaningful and loving sympathy gifts for men seem impossible. Along with spending time with the grieving individual, a heartfelt sympathy gift could provide him with some comfort and solace.
Depending on your relationship with the individual and your intention, you could take multiple routes with condolence gifts for men. You might consider sending meals or snacks to help take the weight of those responsibilities off their plate while simultaneously filling their dishes with comfort food. Or perhaps you might consider unique, handmade keepsakes as a symbol of remembrance. You could even volunteer to help organize funeral arrangements like flowers.
Whatever path you choose, we’re here to help you figure out the perfect gift that says what words can’t quite express. Check out this list of 40 sentimental, personalized, and even inexpensive condolence gifts for men.
40 Meaningful Sympathy Gift Ideas For Men
Express your deepest condolences with gifts ranging from practical to inspirational, including gourmet food baskets, spectacular flower arrangements, and personalized memorial keepsakes.
Wind Chimes Silver Memorial Gift Set
Whenever the wind blows, he’ll be reminded of the love and relationship he had with the person he lost. A thoughtful poem entitled “Always Near” is engraved on each wind chime, “Those we love don’t go away, they walk beside us every day…. Unseen unheard, but always near, still loved, still missed and very dear”. The poem is also printed on the included sympathy card; all you have to do is write a short message and sign your name. These wind chimes offer the bereaved a beautiful sentiment; even though his loved one is gone, they are still with us.
Personalized Dog Tag Pendant Necklace Engraving
These personalized dog tags allow you to customize both sides, with a photo on the front and custom engraving on the reverse. You could choose from seven different metal finishes to best suit your grieving male loved one’s aesthetic. The dog tag comes with a 22-inch cord, a keychain, and a silencer cover. This gift is perfect for a widowed husband, a dad who lost a child, or the loss of a mother or father. The customized dog tag will allow them to carry their lost one close to their heart every day, a beautiful and deeply personal symbol of remembrance.
Aromaflare Lavender Scented Candles Unique Memorial Gifts
The relaxing scents of lavender intertwine with cleansing eucalyptus in this delicate seven-ounce candle. The jar features a beautiful message to commemorate those we have loved and lost. Lavender essential oils are thought to help promote rest and relaxation, so this could be one of the great sympathy gift ideas for men struggling to sleep during their grieving process.
Personalized Gone Fishing in Heaven Garden Stake
Did his dad, brother, or another loved one enjoy spending their days on the lake? Choosing a gift that not only commemorates the loss of their father or loved one but also references an activity the two of them did together is a highly thoughtful choice. This garden stake stands 28 inches high and features a plaque you can personalize with the deceased’s name. He could place it in his garden or even at his loved one’s favorite fishing spot.
Etched In My Heart Pet Memory Frame
Man’s best friend is part of the family and deserves to be mourned as such. While he may not feel inclined to host a funeral or memorial service for his deceased friend, losing his furry companion could still be devastating. Show your support, and acknowledge the special place his four-legged friend held in his heart with this beautiful customized frame. Whether you print out a photo yourself or let him pick his favorite, he’s guaranteed to be grateful for your thoughtfulness. This is one of our favorite sympathy gifts for men who have lost a pet.
LukieJac in Loving Memory Ceramic Tile with Wooden Stand
Expressing your condolences in the bereaved’s native language could make it even more meaningful. This memorial plaque features a sweet message: “Because someone we love is in heaven, there is a little bit of heaven in our home” (translated to English). It also comes with a wooden stand and would look lovely next to a framed picture of their deceased loved one. The company also has similar plaques in English for similarly sentimental English speakers.
Oh! Nuts Gourmet Nut Gift Baskets
When shopping for a sympathy gift, you can’t go wrong with food. Whether the bereaved man is hosting a memorial service or sitting shiva in his home, food can be a welcome gift for him, his family, and other visitors. The package includes multiple different varieties, including cashews, walnuts, brazil nuts, hazelnuts, almonds, honey pecans, pistachios, and more. They are vegan and certified Kosher and could present a healthier alternative to some of the indulgent options people offer at a time of bereavement.
Custom Morse Code Bracelet for Men
Grief is deeply personal, and some people are more private about their feelings during the grieving process. This morse code bracelet could allow him to carry a daily reminder of their loved one without broadcasting their loss. You could customize it with the name of the deceased or a sentimental message such as “See You In Heaven,” “Stay Strong,” or any other personalized text you can think of. This bracelet could be an excellent choice for the type of man who may not like to talk about their feelings but still deeply feels loss and pain.
Loss of a Loved One Picture Keepsake Ornament
The first holiday without his loved one will be particularly challenging. He’ll likely be flooded with childhood memories of baking Christmas cookies with his mom, cutting down the tree with his dad, or unwrapping presents with his siblings. Whoever he lost, this picture keepsake ornament could help keep them close during the holidays, when they will undoubtedly be on his mind. It fits a two-inch photo surrounded by a meaningful engraved message. This is one of the sympathy gift ideas for men that is both unique and very thoughtful.
UnBoxMe Thinking Of You Care Package For Men
This care package covers all of your bases. It includes a card, chunky cable knit socks, artisan peppermint tea, gourmet candied almonds, and vegan cold-pressed soap. Hopefully, he could use these products as a source of comfort in his grief as he bundles up with the warm socks, sips a mug of refreshing tea, and enjoys a few almonds as he reflects on his lost one. Grief is a rough and winding road, so showing your support with this care package could be particularly meaningful to him.
Memory of Loved One Ceramic Soy Wax Candle
If you’re looking for an inexpensive gift but not a cheap sentiment, this soy wax candle could be the meaningful present you’re looking for. The container is made from ceramic with an eight-ounce soy wax candle inside. The light and refreshing scent is called “Tranquility” and might help bring peace to your grieving friend. Because it comes in a ceramic container, he could even replace it with another one and use it as a remembrance keepsake once the candle is finished. The poem is the same one featured above on the LukieJac Ceramic Tile for those who loved the sentiment but wanted a different gift style.
Red Cardinal Keychain Sympathy Gift
After we lose someone we love, many of us search for signs or symbols that they are still near, in one form or another. Some people even believe that red cardinals could represent deceased loved ones. This keychain could serve as a reminder to help him look for those signs, or that, even if no cardinals appear at his window, his lost one is always close to him. It could be a meaningful sympathy gift for men that are in touch with their spiritual side.
Dulcets Divine Deluxe Pastry Prime Gift Box
Some of us like to deal with our feelings by eating them, and there is no shame in that. This gift box is ideal for any Jewish friends sitting shiva to grieve their loss or people of any denomination who want to indulge their emotions with chocolate. The gift box includes various sweet treats, like fruity varieties of hamentashen cookies, assorted brownies, and assorted rugelach. Unfortunately, there is no cure for grief or way to speed up the grieving process, but we think it would be baked goods if there were.
Personalized Memorial Bracelet
This masculine bracelet allows him to hold his loved one near whenever he needs comfort and support. It could be a sentimental gift for any of the close male relatives of the deceased. The bracelets come on an adjustable band made of rubber with an engravable metal plate in the center. Angel wings flank the edges of the customizable plate, and you can choose an appropriate personalized message.
Succulent Gift Box
Some studies have found that indoor plants could help reduce stress or even feelings of depression. However, it could be challenging for your grieving male loved one to take care of plants during his grieving process. Thankfully, succulents are super low maintenance, so he could still reap the benefits of having greenery around without the workload of higher maintenance plants. The succulent comes in a white ceramic container accompanied by a four-ounce soy wax candle in a glass jar. If you don’t want a direct statement of loss, this is one of the condolence gifts for men that may work well for you.
Loss of Pet Gifts Memorial Keychain
His four-legged friend might not be able to walk by his side or go on car rides anymore, but he will always be able to take him on adventures, courtesy of this engraved metal keychain. The keychain is made of high-quality stainless steel and has two components, a metal bar with “Once by my side, forever in my heart” engraved on it and an accompanying paw charm.
Urn Bracelet for Human or Pet Ashes for Him
Cremation jewelry might not be for everyone, but for those that want to honor their loved one’s memory uniquely, this could be a meaningful choice. If you know a man that has lost a loved one and is interested in cremation jewelry, this bracelet is a subtle but sentimental pick. The urn section is not large or bulky, meaning it won’t obviously be holding ashes, and carries a loving message of remembrance. The bracelets are adjustable to fit various wrist sizes and come with a kit to help him fill the urn section with ease.
Majestic Zen's-ManKandle Set of 6
Inspiring words and indulgent scents come together in this gift set, which includes six soy wax candles. Each hand-poured candle features masculine aromas like Vanilla Bean & Tobacco, Oud & Amber, Vanilla Milk, Tobacco & Leather, Cedarwood, and Black Leather. The tin containers each boast an inspirational quote on top. While the quotes may not be directly related to grieving, they could help him focus on other essential areas of his life.
ArtPix 3D Crystal Photo
Just imagine their last portrait together, a beautiful memory etched in sparkling crystal forever. This customizable, laser engraved art piece can turn a two-dimensional photo into a three-dimensional model. This unique artwork could make a sentimental memorial to the deceased, and you could choose a picture of anyone they want to memorialize, from their cat to a parent.
Things I've Learned About Loss
Often, men can have difficulty opening up regarding their emotions. Unfortunately, this can extend to grief, a time when people need support more than ever. If you know a man that tends to bottle his emotions inside or struggles to share what he is grappling with, this book could be a meaningful way to let him know he’s not alone. It is filled with 80 pages that loosely follow the stages of grief and are filled with personal stories from the author. Connecting with others can be challenging. But no one should go through heartache alone. Give him this book along with a card to let him know you’re there if he needs a shoulder to cry on. You might not realize how much he needs it.
Benchmark Bouquets Fresh Roses and Alstroemeria Arrangement
Beautiful fresh-cut flowers can arrive at their doorstep the next day. Whether you’re helping to plan flower arrangements for the funeral service or you just want to send him a symbol of support, these gorgeous white roses and alstroemeria are a classic choice with a twist. Your grieving male friend is sure to appreciate their beauty and the sentiment that goes along with sending fresh flowers.
Long Distance Friendship Lamp
Let him know you’re there for him, no matter the distance between the two of you. It can feel particularly challenging to support your long-distance friend or loved one through the grieving process. Unlike people that live close by, you can’t just drop in to check on them or bring them a home-cooked meal. But with this lamp, you could let him know you’re thinking of him and that you’re just a phone call away whenever he needs you. Buy a lamp for you and your friend, connect them to wifi, and simply tap it when you want to let him know you’re thinking of him. With each tap, the lamp changes through a cycle of rainbow colors.
Printed Customized Seed Paper Hearts
These customizable seed paper pieces could make a thoughtful gift for the bereaved or even a memorial service favor. You can personalize the heart-shaped seed paper with your choice of fonts, the name of the deceased, the year they were born, the year they passed, and a sentimental message of your choice. The papers are embedded with wildflower seeds to bloom into a beautiful display after planting. Use these wildflower seed papers to commemorate someone with a wild and free spirit.
Meditation Box
Restless minds sometimes need a soothing creative outlet for their thoughts. If you know a grieving man that was already interested in meditation or has never tried it before, this meditation box could help him elevate his practice or introduce him to a new skill. The birch wood box is filled with sand and comes with a matching stylus. This tablet-sized box could give him a chance to acknowledge his feelings, whether they be stress, anger, anxiety, or anything else, and let them pass through him.
Heaven In Our Home Flameless Candles Copper Lantern
Provide comfort to those that have lost a loved one with this beautiful and sentimental gift. This sweet remembrance keepsake could be a lovely addition to funeral arrangements or as an addition to their home decor. This lantern would be an exceptionally loving choice for a man who has lost his wife or child as a way to express your condolences and acknowledge their grief. The flameless candle is battery operated and works on an automatic self-timer for six hours on, 18 hours off. The lantern door is decorated with the loving message: “Because someone we love is in heaven… there is a little bit of heaven in our home.”
Very Big Hug Throw
When someone you love is in pain, sometimes you just want to wrap them in a huge, very tight hug until they feel better. Unfortunately, you might not always be there to hug them when they desire one. But thanks to this super soft cotton blanket, your grieving friend will always have a hug when they need one. This blanket is an excellent sympathy gift for men you love that live a little too far away for frequent hugs.
Broadway Basketeers Shiva Gift Tower of Sweets
If your Jewish friend is grieving a loss, food gift baskets are a traditional and expected sympathy gift. The close family is expected to sit Shiva for seven days to mourn their loss, and guests and loved ones are encouraged to send food to nourish the family. This gift basket includes various snacks and treats, guaranteed to entice mourners of all ages. The family could enjoy comforting chocolate chip cappuccino cookies, gourmet caramel popcorn with chocolate and peanut butter drizzle, premium chocolate truffles, cinnamon yogurt pretzels, and plenty more mouth-water snacks. Of course, this food gift basket would be appropriate for friends of any religion mourning a loss.
Finger Tracing Meditation Mug
Grief can be entirely thought-consuming, making it challenging to take on daily tasks. Many people turn to meditation to center their thoughts and work through feelings of anxiety or stress. This labyrinth-inspired mug could help introduce your grieving male friend to the practice of meditation. You could fill the beautiful, hand-made cup with a selection of gourmet teas or his favorite coffee blends for a thoughtful and considerate gift.
Benchmark Bouquets Light Pink Roses
Are you helping the grieving man choose funeral arrangements like flowers? If so, this extraordinary bouquet could be an attractive choice. It includes white lilies, a traditional choice for sympathy flowers, and pink roses, often associated with femininity. As such, this arrangement would make an appropriate choice for the loss of a wife, girlfriend, sister, mother, daughter, or another significant woman in his life. The fresh-cut flowers should arrive the next day to your recipients, and you can choose to add a customized message at checkout.
Sleep Comes Easy Set
Grief can be exhausting, but that doesn’t always mean sleep comes easily to the bereaved. If your loved one is having trouble sleeping after experiencing a loss, this sleep-inspiring kit might be able to help. The aromatherapy gift set includes a mist, salve, mineral bath salt, and body lotion. The products are formulated with traditional sleep-inspiring essential oils like lavender, frankincense, chamomile, and more. This gift set could help any bereaved man quiet his mind and slide into necessary yet elusive slumber.
Funeral Guest Book Personalized Wooden Memorial Guestbook
While commonly used at weddings to wish the new couple wedded bliss, guest books can also make a thoughtful addition to a funeral or memorial service. This gorgeous guest book offers attendees the opportunity to share loving memories or stories about the deceased. You can choose to customize the book with the deceased’s name, birth year, death year, and more design choices. If you are helping a grieving man organize funeral arrangements, this could be a thoughtful touch.
Guided Grief Journal
Perhaps the grieving man might need assistance sorting through his own thoughts and memories before he can read other people’s reflections. In this case, you might consider giving him this guided grief journal. It contains 245 pages of prompts, exercises, and space to express thoughts and feelings. Some of the prompts include “Write a letter to your loved one,” “This always makes me think of you,” and “In what ways do they live on in you?” as well as open space to let his mind wander. Add a sentimental card to this gift to let him know you’re there for him if he wants to talk about his feelings.
With All Our Sympathy Lily Arrangement (Vase Included)
White lilies are a classic choice for sympathy flowers. If you or the bereaved man have traditional tastes, this could be the right floral pick for him. This arrangement includes white lilies accompanied by white roses, white asters, and eucalyptus, all beautifully tucked into the included glass vase. The flowers are shipped overnight to ensure their freshness. These flowers could be an easy choice for a faraway friend or loved one because you could have them delivered directly to the bereaved with a personalized sympathy note. Just click “This is a gift” at checkout to write your card.
Personalized Star Map Sympathy Gift
While he could use these custom star maps for many occasions, such as a wedding, anniversary, or birth, we think they would make a unique way to memorialize a lost loved one. You can customize the title text with up to 30 characters. We came up with a few title ideas to help get you started. Might we suggest “The Day You Joined the Stars,” “A Star Was Born,” “You’re A Star, Forever Shining,” or anything else you can come up with. If you’re looking for a unique and sentimental sympathy gift for a man that has lost someone important, we think this could be a winner.
Dried Fruit & Nut Grazing Board Sampler
You can’t go wrong with sending snacks to a grieving man, especially when they’re this unique and delicious. This international snack sampler comes from small family-owned farms and co-ops in Afghanistan. The fruits and nuts are sustainably harvested, non-GMO, and a nice change of pace from the flowers and cards he’ll be receiving. The sampler includes gourmet snacks like Kishmish Raisins, Dried Sweet Mulberries, Dried Roasted & Salted Sweet Apricot Kernels, and plenty more. You might want to pick up a sample pack for yourself while you’re at it because these snacks are too delicious to let go of.
Letters to Wife in Heaven Sympathy Journal
When you plan to spend the rest of your life with someone, and they depart this earth before you, you can’t help but think about all the important moments they will miss. Whether it’s your children growing up and going off to college, the birth of your first grandchild, or the world travel you had planned together, it could be difficult for him to imagine these moments without her. This journal could help encourage him to share these thoughts and magical moments with her, at least through writing. As long as she’s in his heart and his letters, then she’s never far away.
Moon Beam Sleep Aid
As we’ve mentioned before, sleep can often evade those restless, grieving minds. A self-proclaimed insomniac invented this sleep aid to help himself and others fall asleep without medication. A gentle pulsing light projects onto the user’s ceiling to help them relax their breathing and thoughts. The hypnotic light guides the user’s breath to a sleep-inducing pace, putting them in the right frame of mind for restful sleep.
Hickory Farms Sausage & Cheese Small Gift Box
Meat and cheese are two comfort foods most men will love under any circumstances. In particular, this small gift box could serve as a delicious snack or addition to a memorial service spread. The set includes a hickory farm beef and pork blend sausage, a block of cheddar cheese, sweet hot mustard, toasted crackers, and more. Cooking entire meals might be too much for some grieving men to handle, especially considering all the other responsibilities and funeral arrangements to make. This sampler could serve as a filling snack to help them on days where they can only manage to graze.
Heirloom Custom Video Book
Share your videos of the deceased with your bereaved friend as a gesture of remembrance. Whether your friend lost his wife, partner, child, parent, or pet, sharing your unique videos of them could be a beautiful way to help keep their memory alive. However, not everyone understands how dropbox works, so this could be a thoughtful, kind way to share videos with your less tech-savvy loved ones. All the recipient has to do is open the book and your video should start playing automatically, no need for wifi or equipment.
Gourmet Cookie Sympathy Gift Baskets
What is better than one giant vanilla sugar cookie? Obviously, two large vanilla sugar cookies. This duo set features a sweet design, with a deepest sympathy card and vase of flowers crafted from delicious homemade icing. You could buy a card and real flowers, but your suffering friend can’t eat those (or at least, shouldn’t), so why not mix it up and get him an edible sympathy card instead. The two cookies come packaged in a stylish box, making it easy to have this gift delivered directly to your bereaved friend or relative.