Gifts for Anniversaries

 Anniversaries are a great way to mark partners' commitments to each other. While the people celebrating the anniversary usually know each other well enough to find the right way to mark to occasion, it can be useful or fun to look to lists of "traditional gifts" for the different anniversaries, and brainstorm from there. As with any event when people exchange gifts with each other, the critical part is that all parties agree on the type and level of commemoration: whether everyone agrees to an exorbitant and opulent celebration, a small and intimate private function, or no acknowledgement at all--it's all good.

There are non-traditional ideas too. For example, items made in the year you were married (or when your relationship started) like wine or coins minted that year: give a penny for your first anniversary, a nickel for your fifth, and so on. Take a trip to a place that was special early in your relationship, or somewhere you've always wanted to go. Enjoy a recreation of the first meal you shared together. Set aside time to look through mementos of the time you've spent together. You can throw a party to celebrate with people important to you, or have an intimate evening alone. A vow renewal can be a lavish event or a few minutes set aside after a standard religious ceremony--I've attended both, the latter only because I happened to go to church that day, and both versions are touching. You can (several months in advance) request anniversary greetings from heads of state in some countries--check the relevant office's website for information on how to request a letter of congratulations.

First: Paper (traditional) or clocks (modern)
Books, letters, origami or other paper crafts, printed tickets to an event, stationery, magazine subscription
Promise of time--commit to spending time doing something with your partner

Second: Cotton or china
Anything sewn or otherwise handmade out of cotton; clothing, bedding, etc
Fancy meal on fine china dishes--either at home or a restaurant

Third: Leather or crystal/glass
Jewelry, clothing, accessories, shoes, etc made of leather
Personalized glassware, wine-tasting trip

Fourth: Fruit or flowers; or appliances
Plant a garden or fruit tree together, enjoy local produce at a farmer's market or locavore store, make a meal of local foods
Shop together for needed replacements, find useful accessories for current appliances, use current appliances for something you both enjoy (e.g.; cooking a nice meal)

Fifth: Wood or silverware
Buy or make a sculpture or home décor, take a trip to forest or museum that features wooden art, play a game with wooden pieces like Jenga, build something together
Enjoy a fancy meal with the "good" silver

Sixth: Candy or iron; wood
Candy bouquets, homemade candy, gourmet sweets; iron décor or garden art, tools
Buy or make a sculpture or home décor, take a trip to forest or museum that features wooden art, play a game with wooden pieces like Jenga, build something together

Seventh: Wool or copper; desk sets
Storebought or handmade wool clothing or accessories, wool craft supplies, a trip to the countryside or a farm (or if you already live on one, do you want a new sheep?); copper décor, cooking supplies, garden art, or tools
Monogrammed stationery, fancy pen or even an inkwell with a feather pen, computer accessories or upgrades

Eighth: Pottery or bronze; linen or lace
Storebought or handmade pottery for the kitchen, garden, or for décor; bronze tools or art
Table linens with monograms or other personalized touches, new clothing or accessories, décor

Ninth: Willow or pottery; leather
Storebought or handmade pottery for the kitchen, garden, or for décor; pooden furniture, walk through a forest or arboretum, woven basket filled with...anything! 
Jewelry, clothing, accessories, shoes, etc made of leather

Tenth: Tin or aluminum; diamond jewelry
Tins of gourmet food, homemade food wrapped in foil, trip to places where tin or aluminum souvenirs are made, equipment or tools made of tin or aluminum (lower-priced bicycles are often made of aluminum; perhaps a biking trip), metal container to hold...anything!
The obvious like rings, earrings, bracelets, and necklaces--or art or décor

Eleventh: Steel or fashion jewelry
Stainless steel kitchen supplies or tools, artwork, car accessories or a car trip
Jewelry for a night out, jewelry fashioned into artwork or décor

Twelfth: Silk or linen; pearls
Silk undergarments/lingerie, silk bedding, silk outergarments like ties or shawls, personalized linens
Jewelry, art, or décor with pearl or mother-of-pearl inlay; oysters, trip to a beach

Thirteenth: Lace, textiles
Lace lingerie or other clothing, lace-trimmed décor, "laced-up" shoes for a walk, anything wrapped in lacey doilies, lace-looking treats like delicate cookies
Monogrammed or otherwise personalized home décor, new clothing or other fabric-based home needs, shopping trip, fabric for crafts

Fourteenth: Ivory, gold jewelry 
Of course, it's best to avoid actual ivory as it should stay on the animals it comes from--but perhaps a trip to wildlife refuge or zoo or museum where the animals are found (ivory comes not only from elephants, but other animals including walruses, narwhals, and elk, plus extinct animals like mammoths and mastodons), or a trip to a concert hall, or to a museum that has ancient artwork is in order.
Aside from the usual jewelry like rings, earrings, bracelets, necklaces, and watches, gold can be made into artwork and décor.

Fifteenth: Crystal, watches
Jewelry, décor, vases, stemware, a meal at a fancy restaurant, artwork
Any time-keeping instrument, or a gift of time

Sixteenth: Coffee or tea (both traditional and modern)
Matching mugs, date to a coffee/tea shop, fancy brew, coffee/tea making machines or accessories, treats that go with the drinks (or other drinks like hot chocolate if coffee and tea aren't your...cup of tea)

Seventeenth: Wine and spirits (both traditional and modern)
Date to a nice bar, wine-tasting, tour of a brewery or winery, bottle of high-end alcohol (or other drinks like sparkling cider if alcohol isn't wanted or appropriate), picnic lunch with a toast

Eighteenth: Appliances (both traditional and modern)
Shop together for needed replacements, find useful accessories for current appliances, use current appliances for something you both enjoy (e.g.; cooking a nice meal)

Nineteenth: Jade (both traditional and modern)
Meal at any of the numerous restaurants with "jade" in the name, jade jewelry or art, jade-colored clothing or other items, bonsai jade tree, trip to a place where jade is a popular souvenir item

Twentieth: China, platinum
New dishes (especially if after two decades, yours need replacing), personalized dishes, figurines or other décor made of china
Art, jewelry, or décor made of platinum; music from a "platinum" record

Twenty-first: fire, as a theme (both traditional and modern)
Candle-lit dinner, date around a fire pit or at an open-flame grill, barbecue tools or foods, trip to see fire-related things like volcanos

Twenty-second: water, as a theme (both traditional and modern)
Visit to an aquarium or natural body of water like a lake or ocean, kayaking or canoe trip, drinkware, cruise, fountain for a garden or the home, swimming adventure like scuba diving or snorkeling, trip to a wishing well or fountain

Twenty-third: air, as a theme (both traditional and modern)
Balloons, trip on an airplane or hot air balloon, sky-diving or parachuting trip, something breath-taking or a way to indicate "you take my breath away"

Twenty-fourth: stone, as a theme (both traditional and modern)
Pizza or other food cooked on a baking stone, hot stone massage, rock climbing or similar adventure, go out for drinks "on the rocks," visit to a place with stone sculptures, precious stones made into décor or jewelry, stone artwork, a way to indicate "you're my rock," anything given in a stone box

Twenty-fifth: silver (both traditional and modern)
Anything wrapped in silver-colored paper, silver art or jewelry, silver décor or dinnerware

Twenty-sixth: art (both traditional and modern)
Handmade or storebought artwork, trip to an art museum, art classes to take together

Twenty-seventh: music (both traditional and modern)
Playlist of favorite or meaningful music, date to a concert or orchestra, new music equipment (either or listening or making your own), music lessons, a song you composed yourself

Twenty-eighth: linens (both traditional and modern)
New dining linens, new bed linens, a meal out at a fine restaurant, textiles for crafting, handmade linen items

Twenty-ninth: tools  (both traditional and modern)
Tools for any hobby or pastime: crafting, woodworking, cooking, et. al.; working on a project together, using your creativity and talent to create a gift

Thirtieth: pearl or diamond
Décor, art, jewelry, or home goods with pearl or mother-of-pearl; oysters, trip to a beach
Décor, art, jewelry, or home goods with diamond; diamond-tipped tools, trip to a museum with diamonds like the Smithsonian with the Hope Diamond

Thirty-first: travel/tourism (both traditional and modern)
Any trip near or far, items for traveling like new luggage or a travel toiletry set

Thirty-second: bronze (both traditional and modern)
Bronze artwork or décor, bronze jewelry, bronze home goods, bronze-colored clothing or accessories, anything wrapped in bronze paper, history lecture about the bronze age

Thirty-third: iron (both traditional and modern)
Iron décor or home goods, cast iron cookware, hobby items made of iron like golf clubs, a meal together high in iron, history lecture about the iron age

Thirty-fourth: food (both traditional and modern)
Any meal together, whether home or away, elaborate or simple; anything to make food

Thirty-fifth: coral or jade
Trip to a beach (bonus points if it has coral), a seafood meal, anything coral-colored or wrapped in coral-colored paper
A meal at any of the numerous restaurants with "jade" in the name, jade jewelry or décor, anything jade-colored or wrapped in jade-colored paper

Thirty-sixth: antiques (both traditional and modern)
Any vintage piece, décor reflecting important parts of the past, a trip to a place known for antique souvenirs, anything that fits in the theme of "old fashioned" including old fashioned doughnuts or the drink old fashioned

Thirty-seventh: books (both traditional and modern)
Autographed and/or first edition of a favorite book, e-reader, audio book to listen to while on a trip, a story you've written yourself

Thirty-eighth: luck, as a theme (both traditional and modern)
Shamrock or lucky penny or other symbol of luck, trip to a casino (as with any gambling trip, agree on an amount of money you're comfortable losing and take only that in cash to avoid temptation)

Thirty-ninth: laughter, as a theme (both traditional and modern)
Watch a comedy together, go see a comedian live, tell jokes together, reminisce over happy memories--and get ideas for making more

Fortieth: ruby (both traditional and modern)
Ruby jewelry or artwork or décor, a meal of red-themed foods like red wine and ruby grapefruits, a bouquet of red flowers

Forty-first: office or desk décor (both traditional and modern)
Personalized picture frames or pen holders, computer equipment, stationery

Forty-second: clocks or watches (both traditional and modern)
Personalized/engraved watch, artful wall clock, setting time aside for each other

Forty-third: entertainment, as a theme (both traditional and modern)
Take in a movie or a live show, have an entertainment date at home with popcorn and snacks

Forty-fourth: electronics (both traditional and modern)
Replace worn-out electronics or buy the ones you've always wanted, upgrade your electrical outlets or do other needed electrical work, "fun" electronics like digital photo frames or entertainment-themed devices

Forty-fifth: sapphire (both traditional and modern)
Artwork, décor, home goods, or jewelry with sapphire; blues or rhythm-and-blues concert, anything blue-colored or wrapped in blue-colored paper

Forty-sixth: games (both traditional and modern)
Any game to play together, attending a sporting event, a personalized treasure hunt, a murder mystery dinner theater or escape room date

Forty-seventh: garden or plants (both traditional and modern)
Walk through a garden or park, National Parks pass, gardening supplies, houseplants or garden plants or seeds, a bouquet of flowers utilizing flower messages (e.g.; red chrysanthemums symbolize "I love you")

Forty-eighth: home improvement, as a theme (both traditional and modern)
Depending on your budget and needs, anything from a new piece of home décor to a remodel--or just spruce up your house with a solid cleaning, either together or from a cleaning service

Forty-ninth: copper (both traditional and modern)
Home goods, tools, décor, jewelry, or artwork made with copper; anything copper-colored or wrapped in copper-colored paper

Fiftieth: gold (both traditional and modern)
Artwork or jewelry made with gold, gold-colored flowers, anything gold-colored or wrapped with gold-colored paper, anything that represents elegance and longevity

Fifty-first: photos or cameras (both traditional and modern)
Scrapbook or collage of treasured memories, professional portraits, a trip together (with a camera) to create memories

Fifty-second: bath or spa, as a theme (both traditional and modern)
Anything for a relaxing bath (alone or together) like fancy soap or a good book, spa day, new towels or other bath needs, heated towel rack

Fifty-third: plastic (both traditional and modern)
Just about any item can be made of plastic--including plastic gift cards to a nice restaurant

Fifty-fourth: glass (both traditional and modern)
Home décor, serving pieces, or artwork made of glass

Fifty-fifth: emerald (both traditional and modern)
Jewelry or artwork or décor made with emerald, trip to the Emerald City or Emerald Isle or similarly-named places, watching the Wizard of Oz, green tea, anything green-colored (including money) or wrapped in green paper

Fifty-sixth: day, as a theme (both traditional and modern)
Spending a day together, a movie date watching movies with the word "day" in the titles, remember the wonderful days you've had together--and make plans for more good memories

Fifty-seventh: night, as a theme (both traditional and modern)
Spending a night together, a movie date watching movies with the word "night" in the titles, a night out, star-gazing, anything for making sleep better

Fifty-eighth: faith and hope, as a theme (both traditional and modern)
If you're religious anything related to your faith will work, anything uplifting, trips to places that inspire faith and hope

Fifty-ninth: charity/love, as a theme (both traditional and modern)
Charitable acts you can enjoy together, donations that memorialize your commitment to each other like a donation of a park bench with your names on it

Sixtieth: diamond (both traditional and modern)
Artwork, jewelry, or décor with diamonds