Is your Fifth Anniversary just around the corner, and you’re still agonizing about what to get your spouse? Or are you further along, and contemplating what to give as a fifteenth anniversary gift? Anniversary gifts are a tradition dating back to the medieval ages, and are commonly believed to bring couples good luck throughout their years of marriage. Some may go as far to suggest that not giving Anniversary gifts is almost like predicting your divorce (and we all know how the stats for divorce are growing!). So, with most couples feeling it is best to play it safe, the tradition of celebrating yearly anniversaries lives on year after year!
The question at hand then becomes, “What do I give my spouse for such an important occasion as an Anniversary?” And how do you make it different and more special than the gift the previous year? Through the decades, many lists have come about suggesting very specific gifts that should be given on specific years. The most common was included in Emily Post’s first etiquette book, written in 1922. It required that anniversary gifts be given after one year of marriage, then at five, ten, fifteen, twenty, twenty-five, and finally fifty years of marriage. As times changed, Emily Post expanded the list in 1957 to include each individual year up to fifteen, and then every five years after that. These earlier lists were intended to be a resource for couples building up household staples in their early-married life. Nowadays, since couples start with many more comforts and conveniences, it seems that gifting household staples is becoming slightly outdated. Some couples now turn to a new modern anniversary gift list that is slightly different, and sometimes more specific in what gifts to purchase. Whether purchasing traditional anniversary gifts or modern anniversary gifts, however, the difficulty and uncertainty still remains.
For example, some traditional anniversary gifts are self-explanatory, such as flowers or fruit for the fourth anniversary, or pearls on the thirtieth anniversary. The same holds true with modern anniversary gifts, which has listed silverware as the fifth anniversary gift, and watches for the fifteenth anniversary. On both lists, there are some more ambiguous years, such as the fifth traditional anniversary gift of wood, which also is found in the modern anniversary list for sixth anniversary gifts. With so many possibilities in a category as large as wood, it is hard to narrow the choices down!
With budgets tight, and couples not wanting to spend frivolously, more couples are looking for small and functional anniversary gifts that can be used each day. These functional anniversary gifts serve as a constant reminder of a couple’s commitment to each other. The more often the spouse uses the gift, the more often they will be reminded of this symbol of love! So, be on the lookout for a gift that is unique, functional, and of high quality (not too cheap—what kind of symbol of love would that be?)! Whether you are following the traditional anniversary gifts list or the modern anniversary gifts list, you are guaranteed to have a variety of presents (and memories) to remember that special day by!