The first Christmas after a death is hard in a particular way. The tree goes up, the same decorations come out of the same box, and someone is missing from the room. A memorial ornament does not fix that, but it gives the person a small place on the tree, and a way of saying their name without making a speech.
In short:
- For words rather than a photo: the Personalised Memorial Ceramic Christmas Ornament, with their name, their years and one of four lines.
- For their face on the tree: the In Loving Memory Photo Christmas Ornament.
- For a dog or a cat: the Pet Memorial Photo Christmas Ornament.
This guide covers how to choose between them, what to put on them, and how to give one without making it the centre of the day.
Words: the memorial ornament
The Personalised Memorial Ceramic Christmas Ornament is a round ceramic ornament, 7.5 cm across, with their name at the centre, their years beneath if you want them, and one of four lines below. A single feather is the only decoration. The same design is printed on both sides, and it comes with a red ribbon for hanging.
The four lines are A little piece of heaven in our home, Loved and remembered, Always in our hearts and Missing you at Christmas. Choose the one that sounds like the family. Missing you at Christmas says plainly what the season feels like. Loved and remembered is the quietest of the four, and it suits a family whatever their beliefs. A little piece of heaven in our home and Always in our hearts suit a family for whom that language comes naturally.
For the name, use the one everyone called them: Nan, Grandad, Auntie Pat. The name box takes up to 20 characters. The years are optional and take up to 25 characters, so 1941 - 2025 fits with room to spare. If a date feels too sharp this year, leave it off; the name and the line are enough.
A photo: the In Loving Memory ornament
If you would rather see their face, the In Loving Memory Photo Christmas Ornament prints a photograph on a round ceramic ornament 7.5 cm across, inside a thin cream ring, with the name curving along the base and their years, or a line of your own, just above it. The same design is printed on both sides, and it comes with a red ribbon for hanging.
The photo matters more than anything else here. An old print can be photographed with a phone in daylight and uploaded: lay it flat by a window, avoid reflections, and crop to a square with the face in the middle. The photo needs at least 600 pixels on its shorter side, and the product page will not accept a smaller one. Our FAQs explain what makes a photo print well.
One for each household
A loss is shared, and so is the tree. You might order one ornament for yourself and one for each brother or sister, with the same name and the same line, so the same keepsake hangs on several trees this Christmas. Near the top of the tree, where the lights are, is a good place for it.
Each ornament is made to order with the details you type, so check the spelling on each one before you add it to your basket.
How to give it
A memorial ornament is best given before the tree goes up, not on Christmas Day. That way the person can decide where it goes, or whether it goes up this year at all, without an audience. Hand it over quietly, with a short word: "I thought Nan should be on the tree this year."
If you are sending it, you can send it straight to them. Enter their address as the delivery address and your own as the billing address, and our tracking emails will come to you, not to them. We cannot include a gift message or a printed gift card, and the parcel does not say who the gift is from, so send a card of your own separately, saying the ornament is on its way. The carrier may text the phone number given with the delivery address, so leave it blank or use your own if you would rather they were not told in advance.
Keep what you write short and use the person's name. Something like: "Thinking of you this Christmas, and of your mum."
For a dog or a cat
The Pet Memorial Photo Christmas Ornament prints a photo of the dog or cat you have lost on a round ceramic ornament 7.5 cm across, inside a cream ring, with their name curving along the base and, if you want them, their years or a short line just above it. The same design is printed on both sides, and it comes with a red ribbon. Choose a picture where their face fills the frame. Our guide to pet memorial gifts covers what to send a friend whose pet has died.
Other ways to remember them
Not everyone wants an ornament. Our Memorial Keepsakes collection also has photo prints, photo canvases, photo mugs and a photo fleece blanket with a name and dates, for a person or a pet, which stay out all year. If you are still deciding between ceramic and aluminium ornaments for the rest of the family, our ornament guide sets out the differences.
Ordering in time
Everything we make is printed to order in the UK and sent by a tracked service (usually Royal Mail or Evri, chosen by the print partner). Delivery times are on our Delivery page, and the last order date for Christmas is on our Christmas order deadlines page, so check both if you want it there before the tree goes up.
We print your wording as you spell it, and some designs set a line in capital letters. We do not send proofs, and orders go to our printer within about 10 minutes of payment, so check the name, the years and the photo before you pay. If an ornament arrives damaged or misprinted, you have the right to a free reprint or a full refund: keep the box and email us a photo within 30 days of delivery. If you no longer have the box, still get in touch. See Returns and refunds.
Our ornaments are decorative and not toys, so hang them out of reach of small children and pets.
More gift guides
- How to choose a photo that prints well explains which photo suits a mug, a print, a canvas, a blanket or an ornament.
- How to fit every name on a family Christmas ornament also sets out the order of the names and what to do when the family grows.