Greeting Cards
Sympathy Card Templates
A sympathy card should not be doing anything clever. These four are deliberately restrained - muted colour, generous space, no ornament that draws the eye away from the few words you have chosen.
Quiet Grey and Still Modern carry no decoration at all. Olive Branch and Soft Laurel add a small amount, which some families prefer to a card that looks severe.
Most people put this card off out of fear of getting it wrong. Three or four sentences is the whole of it, and what to write in a sympathy card covers the few phrases that land badly however kindly they are meant.
With deepest
Sympathy
We are thinking of you, and we are close by.
For the Malik family
From your neighbours
With deepest
Sympathy
We are thinking of you, and we are close by.
For the Malik family
From your neighbours
With deepest
Sympathy
We are thinking of you, and we are close by.
For the Malik family
From your neighbours
With deepest
Sympathy
We are thinking of you, and we are close by.
For the Malik family
From your neighbours
Common questions
What do you write in a sympathy card?
Say their name, say something true about them, and offer one specific thing rather than a general offer of help. "I will call on Sunday to see about the shopping" is easier to accept than "let me know if you need anything".
What should you not write?
Anything that explains the loss or looks for a silver lining. Comparisons to your own losses also tend to land badly, however well meant.
Is it too late to send one?
No. Cards arriving weeks later are often the most valued, because they come after everyone else has moved on and the house has gone quiet.