Welcome to Bitching & Mourning, the podcast about grief that doesn’t feature a somber floral design. Today we’re talking about sympathy cards and why they are so, so bad. Alison and Becky went sympathy card shopping and share their worst finds, then Becky tells us about her very, very academic research into the history.

Follow Becky: www.deadparentswhatnow.com and @deadparentswhatnow on Instagram and TikTok

Follow Alison: @alisonlzeidman on Instagram and @alisonzeidman/WELCOME TO HELL!!! on Substack

Free sympathy cards made by attendees at the 17th Death, Dying & Disposal Conference in Utrecht: https://www.deadparentswhatnow.com/sympathy-cards-free

Molly Robison's music: https://mollyrobsion.bandcamp.com/track/roswell

Molly Robison's band Bittersweet Drive: https://bittersweetdrive.bandcamp.com/album/bittersweet-drive-ep

Sources for sympathy cards info: The New York Times, Hallmark, "Sympathy Cards and Death" by Charles H. Lippy, "Consoling the Bereaved: Exploring How Sympathy Cards Influence What People Say" by Kimberly A. Calderwood and Amy M. Alberton