Megan CurtinI can’t believe it, but come January 28th it will be a year since I lost my mom. What is even harder to believe is this Christmas will be the first without her, which hurts for so many reasons. It’s a weird tug of war in my heart of being happy to remember all of our times together as a family and then feeling a deep sadness that we won’t have any future memories together.
Christmas was always her favorite time of year, and it is Christmas that holds so many memories of her. Mama Jo consistently over showered her entire family with gifts at Christmas, but what is even more special is the memories she created with her family.
Mom always loved creating traditions with us and instilled the importance of family, not just around the holidays, but all year long! It is these traditions that will be passed down through each generation.
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The Struggle Of Giving Gifts At Christmas
I found myself not being able to buy Christmas gifts for anyone this year. One part was due to the sadness in me, and the other part was due to just not knowing what to give. I knew I wanted to gift my family with something to remember my mom by, but I also wanted to provide them with something to keep moving forward. Mom would have wanted us to remember her, but she also would have wanted us to continue family traditions and continue to show love to those of us that are still left here on earth.
My family is not the most sentimental group of people. We like to give each other a hard time more than we do the whole hug and say I love you thing every two seconds. It was hard to find a gift they would appreciate, a gift worthy of remembering mom by and all the while keeping in mind not to pick something out that was overly corny. This is where the genius of remembrance charms comes in.
What Are Remembrance Charms?
Remembrance charms are something that you can personalize and are an excellent gift for both the men and women in any family. It is something little that they can look at each day. The thought of those who have passed will be carried around through the charm. Each remembrance charm is great to hold in your hand when you are feeling down. Holding the charm helps you keep in mind those who have passed will be remembered and not forgotten.
A remembrance charm is a gift that extends beyond Christmas and can be a beautiful, thoughtful gift for numerous events in every human’s life not just for those grieving but for those who are going through big milestones like graduating, a new job or a new marriage. Below I have listed some examples of items that are appropriate to give someone as a remembrance charm and links to reputable sellers.
To be noted: Remembrance charms are also called Rembrandt charms!
Wedding Day Remembrance CharmÂ
This one hits really close to my heart, and I can only imagine how many other women are in my shoes.
My boyfriend and I have been together for 8 years. We moved into my parent’s house once my mom got sick and lived with her for about 4 years before she passed. Naturally, my mom became a close part of my boyfriend’s life. His mom wasn’t around when he was growing up and he said my mom took a special motherly figure spot in his heart. When she passed I didn’t only lose a mom but he lost a piece of his heart too. It makes us both so sad and full of regret we never got married while she was alive to see it.
A charm like this would mean so much to other women who have the unfortunate reality of not having their mom around to watch them walk down the aisle on her wedding day. Nothing can ever replace a mother figure during a wedding, but a little charm like this one is a nice remembrance to have around.
This remembrance charm comes with a ribbon that is intended to be given to the florist to have them attach it to the bride’s bouquet. This charm also comes with a little note that reads:
“As I prepare for this special day I am reflecting on you and how I wish you were here to be a part of it. My loved ones gather to celebrate… but how precious it would be to see you standing nearby, giving me that look that communicates so much. Today is about celebrating love, and so it is natural that I think of you. I will carry you in my heart as I take those steps down the aisle, and I know that though you are missed, you are here in spirit.”
The charm comes with a small square pendant that is meant for you to attach a picture too. It can be a picture of the bride and her mom or perhaps a picture of the bride’s mom on her wedding day.
Remembrance Charm NecklaceÂ
Wearing a remembrance charm necklace keeps the ones you lost close to your heart, literally.
I myself am not a necklace person but having a remembrance necklace like this one can be nice to wear on days when you wake up and you already know it’s going to be a really tough day. One of those days you are missing someone so much it hurts to breathe. Having a remembrance necklace can act as a protective blanket and helps you to breathe one step at a time.
This Rembrandt charm necklace comes with a few different pendants including:
- Circle pendant with the engraved words reading – A piece of my heart lives in heaven
- Rectangle charm – intended for you to put a date on
- Small circle pendant – intended for initials or a name
- Anglewing pendant
- Birthstone Swarovski gem
All of these pendants are sterling silver and hang from an 18′ stainless steel chain. If you want a more customized remembrance charm necklace you can feel free to contact the seller and they are more than happy to work with you on creating a one of a kind piece.Â
Rembrandt Charm BraceletÂ
When someone mentions a Rembrandt charm the first thing that will come to most peoples mind is a charm bracelet. A charm bracelet is something always attached to peoples memories and holds a deep meaning to those who wear it. A charm bracelet is a look into a persons life and the memories that they cherish over all others.
Rembrandt charm bracelets are a great option for those who are indecisive. With so many Rembrandt charm options you can gift a person with charms year after year. Some choose to fill their remembrance charm bracelets all the way and some like to alternate charms. A remembrance charm bracelet is a gift that keeps on giving and new charms are made every year.
A person who owns a Rembrandt charm bracelet has the option of adding charms that not only fit into the memories of their past events but memories of their current life. A remembrance charm bracelet is a wearable link from the past into the future. Literally and figuratively.
Don’t cheap out on the actual bracelet that all the charms hang from. You want to spend decent money and get a bracelet that is made out of a durable, long-lasting and non-rusting material. All the charms you get for them will be useless if you gift them a cheap charm bracelet that is going to fall apart. What’s worse is having a charm bracelet break and fall off with the owner not knowing. The horror stories of those who have lost charm bracelets are the worst because they feel a bit of all those memories are now gone forever, and you never hear of owner ever getting them back.
A few charms I would pick to remember my mother passing would be:
- Anchor Charm – We always did vacations to tropical places and she loved anchors because her dad was in the Navy.
- TV Charm – We would always watch reality TV together, and we were both into keeping up with the drama through magazines and news posts. Housewives, Vanderpump and Below Deck were a few of our favorites!
- Christmas Tree Charm– Christmas was her favorite time of year!
- Shopping Bag Charm – We absolutely shared a love for shopping together, both at stores and online.
- Nail Polish Charm – I have my cosmetology license and she would always get her hair and nails done by me. A few months before the end she had no hair and I gave her a special Wisconsin badger manicure she still had on in her casket.
- Cup Of Coffee Charm – We both loved having a cup of coffee in the morning and we loved going to the state fair and stocking up on flavored coffee for the whole year from a local grower. She had started collecting coffee mugs from vacations the last few years she was alive.
Obviously, these charms have a special meaning to me and you will find a charm to give that has a special meaning to someone else. Hopefully, a few of my ideas will get you thinking outside the box on what charms to gift.
Remember to keep in mind there are different types of remembrance charm bracelets. Some charms will be attached by a small hook, small loop or some will slide on and won’t be as dangly.
Megan Curtin
