Anniversary Gift Ideas

Every anniversary in a couple's life is a symbolic6th: sugar, wood, iron, candy, amethysts.
marker of commitment, adventure and love. With each7th: copper, wool, brass, desk sets, onyx.
passing year, the bond strengthens, fortified by all the8th: pottery, bronze, appliances, linens, lace, tourmaline
shared experiences a year can carry. Anniversariesjewelry.
are a time to let your spouse know that he or she is9th: willow, pottery, leather, lapis jewelry.
cherished. And, they are a time to present a10th: aluminum, tin, diamond jewelry.
anniversary gift that reflects love, creativity and spirit.11th: fashion or turquoise jewelry, steel.
Before humans had a way of keeping time, no one12th: pearls, jade, colored gems, silk, linen.
paid much attention to the anniversary of important13th: textiles, furs, citrine, lace.
events, such as birthdays. Only when ancient peoples14th: ivory, opal, gold jewelry.
began taking notice of the moon's cycles, did they pay15th: crystal, glass, watches, ruby.
attention to the changing seasons and the pattern that16th: silver hollowware, peridot.
repeated itself over and over. Eventually, the first17th: furniture, watch.
calendars were formulated in order to mark time18th: cat's eye jewelry, porcelain.
changes and other special days. From this system19th: bronze, aquamarine.
tracking came the ability to celebrate birthdays and20th: platinum, emeralds, china.
other significant anniversaries the same day each21st: nickel, brass.
year.22nd: copper.
Anniversary celebrations began in medieval times23rd: silver plate.
when people celebrated 25 and 50 years of marriage.24th: musical instruments.
A husband would crown his wife with a wreath of25th: silver, sterling silver
silver for 25 years and of gold for 50.Finding an anniversary gift for a wife can be a fairly
For centuries, couples have observed weddingeasy process because as long as a husband is aware
anniversaries as a special time to reflect upon theirof his wifes interests, he has a wide selection of gifts
marriage and remember the vows they made to onehe can choose from.
another. Despite the existence of anniversaries longMaking the search for anniversary gifts for men is a
ago, there aren't any long-standing traditions or strictchallenge. One of the most common pieces of advice
rules concerning the way anniversaries should orthat you can find on web sites that provide gift ideas is
should not be celebrated.to buy gifts that follow tradition: For every milestone
The wedding anniversary gift chosen is usually basedregarding to the number of years you are together,
on the number of years a couple has been married.there are appropriate gifts for each. For men, this
The longer the number of years past since themeans that wives should get their husbands a gift that
wedding couple has been married, the more preciousis made out of paper on their first year anniversary,
the material (symbol) associated with it. Traditional andwhich can come in the form of personalized stationary
modern gift ideas help the invited guests in choosingthat he can use in his work. For the second year,
the appropriate gifts for a wedding anniversary, as wellwomen are advised to get their husbands anything
as, it may help the hosts choose an appropriate partymade out of cotton, which includes shirts, pillows, or
theme for the couple's wedding anniversary.other cotton. On the third year, women are then
It is now generally agreed that there are particularadvised to buy their husbands leather products, which
traditional symbols for wedding anniversaries. Over theinclude shoes, belts, or a leather suitcase. As for other
periods of time - some of these symbols havemilestones, like the 25th or the 50th wedding
changed but as a rough guide take a look at the tableanniversary, women are advised to give their
below, which lists the most popular anniversaries andhusbands gifts that are made out of silver and gold,
their traditional gift symbols.respectively.
1st: paper, clocks, plastic, gold jewelry.Typically, couples observe earlier wedding
2nd: cotton, china, calico, garnet.anniversaries informally, making their own plans to
3rd: leather, crystal, glass, pearls.celebrate alone over dinner, take a weekend getaway,
4th: fruit, flowers, electrical appliances, linen, silk, nylon,or simply exchange small gifts. As the number of
blue topaz.years together increases, however, the occasion
5th: wood, silverware, sapphires.becomes more and more significant.