Oh yes. It’s that time of year again. Fall is here and winter is approaching and we all know what that means…holiday time is upon us. And with the holidays comes extra calories from delicious food and holiday shopping for friends and family. This year I’ll share with you seven unique holiday gift ideas for bereaved pet parents and animal lovers.
The first few suggestions are resources created by yours truly. The others are ideas I’d recommend or have personally tried myself and love. So with that said let’s get into the first idea.
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My Blog Shop (now closed…check out my post “Confession time: I failed…”)
If you saw my recent Pre-Holiday Giveaway contest post, you know I have a blog shop with a few items for grieving pet parents. I have a small selection of necklaces, pendant charms and key chains all under $10. These gifts are great for those on a small budget or those looking for that little small token to show you care. They are great gift ideas for friends, co-workers or simple stocking stuffers. You can check out my blog shop here. Note: Enter code FREESHIP at checkout for Free Shipping. *USA shipping only.
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Redbubble.com – Impurrfectlife Art Studio
A while back I had written a post called The Healing Power of Art. I spoke of how I fell back into painting after attending a Paint Nite function with friends and in turn, it really helped me pursue an outlet that helped me find a place of healing after losing Dusty. With that revelation and with the support of friends, I opened my own Red Bubble shop with some of my own designs
You can shop Impurrfectlife Art Studio where I have original animal-themed designs as well as Afrocentric art. All designed by yours truly. The best part is you can check out my portfolio of work and choose which design you like. My shop offers items for any budget. From stickers and stationery, to T-shirts/hoodies, mugs and phone case. There is something for everyone. One thing you should know is Red Bubble offers online discount codes featured every week on their site home page to help you save money! So hop on over and see what’s new. Shipping is worldwide.
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Zazzle.com-Kamira’s Art Studio
Another clever and simple gift idea for the holidays is frameable art. Sometimes the most basic heartfelt gesture means the most.
After the lose my own cat Dusty, I found comfort in the Rainbow Bridge poem. So, when a dear friend of mine lost her beloved dog, I knew I wanted to send her a gift and also a greeting card.
I printed a copy of the Rainbow Bridge poem and tucked it inside the sympathy card. When my friend received the gift and card, she expressed how much that gesture meant.
With this in mind, I created a series of designs available in print format on Zazzle. It’s a great simple gift idea to print and have in a nice frame to gift a friend or family member.
Check out some of my designs on my Zazzle shop!
Animal Rescue site is a great resource to use all year round. I love their stuff. Also, with every purchase made, some of that profit is used to help feed animals as well. I wrote about my experience with the Animal Rescue Site in another blog post called My Shopping Experience at the Animal Rescue site. They offer animal-themed items from home décor, accessories, clothing, and much more. They have great options for all animal lovers and great customer service.
A few months ago, Petsies contributed a lovely guest post called 5 Products for Pet Lovers who have Lost their Pet. One of the ideas is one of their own- custom plushies! For anyone that is a fan of stuffed animals, Petsies custom plushies may be the perfect option for you. This company makes stuffed animals that mirror your own pet’s image and likeness. This is a great gift idea for grieving pet parents as well as animal lovers. At holiday time, you may consider giving a gift certificate to a recipient or order one for yourself. This is yet another unique holiday gift idea.
Another great gift idea for the holidays and any time of year is Pet Perennials. I wrote a prior blog post called Pet Perennials Healing Hearts Candle: A Review talking about my experience. I love animals and I love candles. This gift is the perfect merging of both ideas. You can read all the details in my blog post, however, the idea of the pet memorial candle is your deceased pet has a message for you from beyond. What will they tell you? You’ll have to burn the scented candle and reveal a gemstone at the bottom to find out. The gemstone revealed will translate to a message. Pet Perennials provides a card with a list of meanings and messages behind each gemstone.
I love this idea and think it’s a great gift for a grieving pet owner. And when the candle is used up, the gemstone can be kept as a keepsake. You can check out this and other products Pet Perennials offers on their website.
Last but not least, you can always customize and make your own gift! Are you the creative type? Not so creative? That’s okay. No matter your creativity level, you can visit Shutterfly.com and make your own masterpiece. You can custom-make items as small as greeting cards all the way to throws! All you need is to sign up for a free Shutterfly account so you can begin creating your own projects. How about a calendar with your family and furry friends? Or you can make a yearbook of memories? The possibilities only go as far as your purse strings. Again, this time of year Shutterfly.com often has online discount coupon codes featured on their home page, so take a look and get started.
Those are my seven unique holiday gift ideas for grieving pet parents and animal lovers. I hope I have helped you think outside the box and made it easier to cross off a few items off your shopping list this holiday season.
Let me know which one do you like the most? Do you have any other ideas?
Comment and share your thoughts below. Happy Holidays!
Original post published November 2017. Updated October 2022.