Yesterday my neighbor called to ask me what I thought about sending a fireside basket to a funeral. She explained that an old high school friend passed away recently and she and some other friends sent sympathy flowers to the service held in another state. She explained that one of the ladies in her group handled all the arrangements. My neighbor received a thank you card for the fireside basket that was sent. She was concerned because she didn’t know what a fireside basket was and that it might not be appropriate for a funeral service.

Fireside baskets are floral arrangements created in a broad, low-sided, oval handled basket. Many times this type of flower arrangement is used as an appropriate alternative to a standing spray. In fact many families prefer a fireside basket to a standing spray.

While helping my sister-in-law at her flower shop, I have seen many funeral arrangements. I find that the fireside baskets were some of the most appropriate floral tributes. I remember a couple of fireside baskets that really represented the personality of the deceased. One basket was arranged so the flowers looked like they had been picked from someone’s flower garden and placed in the basket. This fireside basket was for an avid gardener. The second basket was for a man who loved fishing and the flowers were arranged in the basket with a fisherman figurine. It looked like the fisherman was walking through a wildflower field to his fishing hole.
So to make a long story short. It is appropriate to send a fireside basket to a funeral