Anniversary gifts are a wholesome, age-long tradition for a good reason. It makes a lot of sense that you’d want to give something meaningful in celebration of your special day.
However, as time passes, it’s easy to run out of ideas. Then you go online and scroll through Pinterest boards, but everything seems so cliche.
The simple answer is to get a gift that symbolizes your love. That’s what this date is all about. If you’re still struggling to come up with an idea, though, check out these five gift types that your spouse will hold dear in their heart for the years to come.
Chapter Overview
Timeless Classics
The dating days are over, and your relationship is now about much more than romance. It’s a partnership, and you share everything that goes on in your daily lives–the good and the bad.
So, why not bring back the good old days of courtship, if only for a day? While it might seem corny, your partner is likely to appreciate remembering the times of champagne, chocolates, and cheesy cards with even cheesier messages.
Treat them to a date that looks like it came out of a romantic comedy from the early 2000s. Make breakfast in bed, send a massive bouquet of anniversary flowers to work, and take them out somewhere special for dinner.
Other tropes you could take advantage of are:
- Rose petals on the bed
- Scented candles and a bath
- Rooftop dinner for two
- Dancing to ‘your’ song in the living room
Remember, although it may feel goofy to do these things after several years of marriage, everybody’s a sucker for romance. You might end up rekindling a long-lost fire in the process.
Personalized and Caring
If grandiose gestures and over-the-top dates aren’t your jam, practicality is your best bet. You could simply make your present meaningful by getting a personalized gift for him. Consider your partner’s hobbies and interests, choose one, and base your gift on that topic.
A Current Interest
Your loved one might have recently gotten into cooking, sports, or sewing. However, your monthly budget could never fit an expensive class or a cookbook, and the right equipment for a more exotic hobby wasn’t even an option worth imagining.
If you can afford it, get them something related to that interest. It’s even better when you have to research it. Looking into the best gifts for gardening lovers even when you’re not one shows your dedication and support.
A Hobby Long-Gone
Running a household takes time. As a result, we tend to stop doing what we used to enjoy to make room for all the new chores.
In this case, buying equipment or a class might not be the best option. On the one hand, your loved one could feel inspired to pursue the hobby again, but it could also cause guilt if they can’t make the time.
Go a bit more general to show support but avoid pushing it. For example, a walk through a botanical garden is an ideal way to show your affection to a person who was always fond of cultivating plants. Sports fans might enjoy watching a local match.
A Wedding Re-Do
This one is a bit more on the expensive side, but you can draw inspiration from the idea without spending a small fortune. Wedding planning is stressful, and sometimes, you miss out on enjoying it because you’re too busy making sure that everybody else is having a good time.
Think back to the wedding day and make a list of ‘if only-s’. You don’t have to do the entire wedding again, but if there’s something you two wanted but never got to achieve, the anniversary is the ideal time for doing so.
Photographs are a good example. Everybody wants to look flawless on their big day, but you might’ve ended up with unflattering results. Why not dress up, schedule a session, and correct that?
If you never got around to having a honeymoon, you could do it now. A weekend at a local resort is enough. While you’re there, focus on quality time together and let your significant other know you’d marry them again any day of the week.
Captured Memories
We live in a highly digital age where nobody holds on to physical photographs anymore, but that’s all the more reason to use them on your anniversary day.
Having a Google Drive folder with all your memories is one thing, but it gets so much more satisfying when you can organize, frame, and showcase your love inside the home you share.
If you already have a ton of pictures together, print them out in an old-timey format and create a scrapbook. Add cute tags to each photo for bonus points. Alternatively, frame the intimate moments from the past for a loving piece of decor no artwork can replace.
You could make new memories, too. Plan a fun day where you visit your favorite places and take pictures together. When you get home, you get a bonus date night of sifting through everything you captured and deciding which photos are worth keeping.
Pour Your Heart Out
Finally, you can’t go wrong with creating visual or written art that expresses your devotion to your partner.
If you’re an artistic person, you’ll be able to create something truly magnificent. If not, imagine how wonderful they’ll feel when they realize you went out of your comfort zone to make something special for them.
This idea is a no-brainer for the artists out there. Choose a medium and go crazy. For instance:
- Paint your fondest couple pic on a canvas
- Write a story about the day you met
- Compose a piece of music describing how you feel when you look at them
Those on the less creative side should stick to something simple. Poems aren’t that challenging, and they’re a century-long tradition for lovers confessing their emotions.
Learn the basics of poem writing, and don’t experiment too much with the form until you feel confident. Even if it seems silly to you, your spouse is going to love it.
In a Nutshell
Finally, try not to get so hung up on the gift-searching process that you forget the point of your anniversary. It’s the opportunity to show your significant other how grateful you are for the life you share. These ideas serve only as inspiration.
The gift itself doesn’t have to be extravagant, expensive, or even too complicated. As long as you’re reaffirming the message of love that lasts, you won’t disappoint your partner. You’ll make them feel overjoyed.