What to write on a memorial ornament

Start with the name you called them

Use the name your family says out loud. If everyone called him Dad, write Dad, and if the grandkids said Grandpa Joe, write Grandpa Joe. A full legal name can look formal on a tree, and nobody at home would use it.

When several people will share the ornament, pick the name most of them use. A relationship word such as Mom, Nana or Grandpa works well, because everyone who sees it knows exactly who is meant.

Buying for someone else? Use the name they use when they talk about the person, and check the spelling before you order. A funeral program or an obituary will have it right, and a quiet word with a sibling or a spouse will settle the rest.

Decide about the years

Years are optional, and an ornament reads fine with or without them. They print as you type them, such as 1948 - 2025. Add them if the family likes seeing the dates, or if a name such as Mom could belong to more than one person in the years ahead.

Leave them off if the dates are hard to see, or if you aren’t certain of them. For a baby or a child, a name alone, or a name with a single date, is often all that needs saying.

Pick one short line, or none

These lines fit on a round ornament without crowding the name. We have grouped them by tone. They are also the twelve lines on our Christmas in Heaven ornament, where you can choose no extra line at all.

How to choose between them

• Listen to how the family talks. If they say Heaven, Christmas in Heaven will feel natural. If you don’t know what they believe, In loving memory or Remembered with love is safe for almost anyone.
• For a loss this year, shorter is usually better. Missing you at Christmas says what the season feels like without asking anyone to feel better.
• For a loss some years back, a line about what stayed can suit, such as Your love lives on.
• If two lines both feel right, choose the plainer one. The name matters most.

Lines to leave off

An ornament comes out of the box every year, so skip anything that may not hold up over time:

• Anything about how the person died.
• Anything that tells the family how to feel, such as a line about time healing.
• A long poem or verse. It won’t be legible at this size.
• A private reference few people would understand, unless it is the family’s own and you are part of that family.

If you are giving it to someone who is grieving

Give it quietly, with a short note. They may want to open it alone, and they may not be ready to hang it this year. Both are fine. In the note, say the person’s name and share one small memory if you have one. That sentence is often what gets kept.

Photo or words only?

A photo ornament is about 3 in across, so a close, clear photo of one face works best. The original from your phone’s Photos app prints sharpest. If a Facebook copy or an old print is the photo you have, send it anyway. We check every photo and message you within 1 business day if it won’t print well.

If you don’t have a good photo, or you are buying for someone else and would rather not ask for one, choose words only.

The ornament this guide is built around

Christmas in Heaven Memorial Ornament

The name of the person you miss and their years, with their photo or with words only.

from $23.95See it on Etsy

What fits on ours

• The name goes up to 12 characters, in script, spelled exactly as you type it. Start with a capital letter, because we never add ’s.
• The years print as typed. Leave them empty and they are left off.
• It is one ornament per person. Remembering more than one? Add an ornament for each.
• Front and back repeats the line, name and years on the back inside a thin gold ring. Front only leaves the back plain white.

Questions people ask

Orders go through Etsy. Each See it on Etsy button opens our shop, The Kind Porch, where you personalize, pay and message us.