Sympathy gift help...?

The woman that I used to babysit for about 13 years ago called to let me know that her mother-in-law passed away. The kids I used to babysit are pretty much grown up now and I haven't seen them in ages. I still am in occasional contact with their mother (the one that called). I don't know the proper etiquette for handling this situation.



Ideally, I'd like to just send a gift basket to their house but they are expensive and we are on a tight budget. The fact that she called made me feel obligated for something. Is sending JUST a condolence card too tacky? I am unable to attend the wake so I cannot just ignore the situation.



PLEASE ADVISE!

Sympathy gift help...?
a condolence card will do just fine....with a note from you expressing your heartfelt condolence.....you don't have to do more then that......one of my brothers just passed away.....we got cards from people he used to know from back in the day when he was in high school and college.....it was a nice of them to do that and that they remembered him
Reply:A hand-written letter would be most appreciated
Reply:You can just send a card since you aren't close to them. Or you could make a small donation to charity in the name of the deceased. Don't feel guilty about not doing more.
Reply:There is no reason to send a gift basket of any type - a condolence card, with a personal message written inside, is all that is required, and is not tacky at all.
Reply:GG. A sympathy card is just fine. When someone is grieving, some sincere empathy is all they need, if anything. Gifts mean NOTHING. Don't worry about it.
Reply:no sending a condolence card is a great idea and remember it is her mother in law so address it to the family.



you can personalize it by inserting a sealed personalized note telling her how sad you are for her and her family. make a thoughtful gesture by including an angel card or small pocket sized photo frame that she can insert and keep a photo in, something that would fit in a purse or handbag.
Reply:I'm sure the phone call to you was more in the nature of letting long-time family friends know of the sad news than it was intended to solicit sympathy gifts. Such gifts are not in the regular realm of reactions to the death of a family friend. A sympathy card expressing your sadness at the loss of an old friend is sufficient.

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