As my husband and I celebrated our 5 year anniversary last month I struggled with what to get him. We have a small house and since the birth of our daughter it’s become even smaller! A lot has happened in the past five years from military deployments, living in 4 different states, starting and relocating a business, traveling to various states and countries and of course the birth of our daughter just 6 months ago. I wanted to give a gift that was special but didn’t take up space. I thought about past articles I’ve written about clutter-free gift giving. This reflection led me to think about the many anniversaries we have in front of us. I researched the traditional anniversary gifts and wanted to put a clutter-free spin on the list.
When in doubt about the perfect anniversary gift, give the gift of time. Plan a day doing things you love to do with the one you love. The memories and joy you both will take away from that time together will last longer than the joy a gift would bring and the clutter that would inevitably follow.
Happy Anniversary!
|
Anniversary |
Traditional Gift |
Modern Gift |
Clutter-Free Gift |
|
1 |
Paper | Clock | Tickets to an event |
|
2 |
Cotton | China | Breakfast in bed |
|
3 |
Leather | Crystal | Champagne toast |
|
4 |
Fruit or Flowers | Appliances | Flowers (reuse a vase you already have or a pitcher) |
|
5 |
Wood | Silverware | Take a cooking class together |
|
6 |
Candy or Iron | Wood | Box of chocolates |
|
7 |
Wool or Copper | Desk Sets | Spend quality time together in front of the fire cuddled under a warm wool blanket |
|
8 |
Bronze | Lace or Linens | Take a hot air balloon ride together |
|
9 |
Pottery | Leather | Tickets to a sporting event |
|
10 |
Tin or Aluminum | Diamond Jewelry | Membership to a Beer of the Month Club |
|
15 |
Crystal | Watches | Attend a wine tasting event together |
|
20 |
China | Platinum | Dinner out at a 5-star restaurant |
|
25 |
Silver | Silver | Renew your wedding vows |
|
30 |
Pearl | Diamond | Get your family portrait taken to show off your pearly whites |
|
35 |
Coral | Jade | Revisit your honeymoon spot |
|
40 |
Ruby | Ruby | Write a poem for your sweetheart using red ink |
|
50 |
Gold | Gold | Let your family and friends host a party |
|
55 |
Emerald | Emerald | Watch the Wizard of Oz together |
|
60 |
Diamond | Diamond | Let your family and friends host a party |
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Wonderful list! Now we’re dying to know what you decided to give him!
Thanks Zee. We’re going to spend a day going to the local observatory and hiking at the nearby state park. A day together and a new adventure!
I loved the list you put together. We just had our 15th. You can tell you put some thought into your list to incorporate the Traditional and Modern ideas also. Enjoy your Anniversary and Baby. Thanks for sharing your list.
Congratulations on celebrating your 5th anniversary. What a beautiful wedding photo of the two of you. It sounds like life has been quite the whirlwind between the moves, deployments and birth of your daughter. Your list of clutter-less gift ideas are wonderful. They are based on sharing the most precious thing we have….time. Here’s to you both and a lifetime of love and happiness together.