Tag: Sympathy Card Etiquette

How Quickly Should I Send a Sympathy Card?

It is unfortunate when a family member, friend, acquaintance or coworker loses someone close to them.

As a caring individual, you want to share your sympathy and let them know that you are thinking about them in this trying time. You want to send a sympathy card, but how soon is too soon, and how late is too late? Take a look below for some items to consider:

How well did you know this person?

If the person is close to you, send it as soon as you can. Your sympathy card will be seen as thoughtful, even if it arrives on the early side.

On the other hand, if you are not particularly close to the individual, you may want to hold off a few days before sending a sympathy card. A card from an acquaintance may not be welcome in the first few days of grieving. To be safe, do not send the card before the funeral or service.

Sending a card by mail takes time

If you are sending a sympathy card cross country or internationally, send the card on the sooner side. If you don’t, the card may arrive past the time. However, sending a sympathy card late is better than not sending one at all.

Sympathy Card Etiquette

No one likes to send a sympathy card, but at some time in all of our lives, we will have to do it.  So when that time comes, you want to make sure that you say the right thing.  Writing something inside the card is never an easy task but you really don’t have to write a lot because the most important thing to remember in sympathy card writing etiquette is to simply let the family know that you are thinking about them.

But if it’s possible, try to add something personal about the deceased –something in particular that reminds you of them…a certain time you spent together, their laugh or smile, a song, etc.  Be sure to let the recipient know how you know the deceased (co-worker, friend, attended the same school, etc).

Remember, just like it is true in our everyday lives, sometimes we never know the impact we make on another person’s life and learning something new about someone who has passed away can mean so much to a family member who is grieving.