What is a memorial lantern?
A memorial lantern is a lantern kept in memory of someone who has died. It usually holds their photograph behind the glass and a candle, today most often a flameless LED one, that lights it. It is given as a sympathy gift and kept on a shelf, mantel or bedside table long after the funeral.
What it is for
A memorial lantern gives the person who died a place in the room. Their face is there, behind the glass, and when the candle is on, it lights them too. Some families turn it on every evening. Others keep it for birthdays, anniversaries and the days that are harder than the rest.
It is also one of the few sympathy gifts that is about the person who died rather than the person grieving. Flowers and food are for the week of the funeral. A lantern with their photograph in it is for the years after.
What to look for
- A place for a photograph. Check the size it takes. A standard 4×6 inch print is the easiest, because nearly everyone already has one.
- A flameless candle. An LED candle can be left on beside a photograph with no open flame to watch. A remote control helps if the lantern sits on a high shelf.
- Words that fit the loss. Many lanterns carry a short verse on the glass. Choose one written for any loss, or one written for a mother, father or grandparent if you know it is right.
- Somewhere for small things. Some lanterns have a drawer or compartment for a ring, a watch or a letter.
- Ready to give. If you are sending it straight to the family, look for one that arrives gift-boxed with a card, so it does not need wrapping.
Memorial lantern or memorial candle?
A memorial candle is lit for a vigil, a service or an anniversary, and burns down. A memorial lantern is kept. It holds a photograph, it can be lit again every evening, and it stays in the home.
Where people keep one
On a mantel or bookshelf in the main room, on a bedside table, or beside a framed photograph or an urn. Some families bring it to a memorial service or celebration of life first, then take it home.
STILLWIND memorial lanterns
We make two: a wood lantern with a copper or black crown, and a slimmer metal lantern in black or white. Each holds a 4×6 photograph, has a velvet-lined drawer in the base, and has a flickering LED candle with a remote, batteries included. There are three designs on the glass: Those We Love for any loss, Mom, and Family Tree. Every lantern arrives in a gift box with a sympathy card, and comes with the free Still With Me Starter Book, where the family can write down the life behind the photograph.
Questions
Is a memorial lantern a good sympathy gift?
Yes, when you want to send something that lasts. It holds a photograph of the person who died and stays in the home, where flowers last a week. It suits a close friend, a colleague or a family member, and can be sent straight to them.
Is it safe to leave a memorial lantern on?
A lantern with an LED candle has no open flame, so it can sit lit beside a photograph without being watched. A lantern built for a real candle needs the same care as any candle.
How do you make a memorial lantern personal?
With the photograph you put inside it and the things you keep in it. Choose a photograph that looks like them on an ordinary good day, and put something that was theirs in the drawer.