Modern Anniversary Gifts
Most people are aware that each anniversary comes with a traditional gift theme. However, there is a new list of modern anniversary gifts. Some the gifts are the same as the traditional gifts, but most of them have changed. However, no matter which list of anniversary gifts you use, your thoughtfulness will be appreciated. Traditionally, the gift for the first anniversary is paper. Gifts for this very special year include tickets to a great event or personalized stationary. In the modern list of anniversary gifts clocks replace paper as the expected gift. Cotton (traditional) and china (modern) are especially appropriate for the second anniversary. China is listed later on the traditional list. One usually finds that modern anniversary gifts are more expensive earlier on. For instance, by the third anniversary on the modern list, the gift is crystal, which does not show up until the fifteenth anniversary. On the traditional list the third anniversary gift is leather. With just a bit of imagination you can honor the tradition without breaking the bank. The fourth and fifth anniversary gifts are appliances and silverware on the modern list, while on the traditional list these anniversary gifts are fruit and/or flowers and wood, respectively. Ideas for the creative giver include landscaping consultations, fruit trees, jewelry boxes or a crate of wine. The sixth anniversary is represented by candy and/or iron on both lists. For this year, consider a table or wall fountain or a candy making kit complete with thermometer. The wool and/or copper suggested on the traditional list seem a little out of date, and so on the modern list, the seventh anniversary is now marked by desk sets. Bronze and/or pottery are suggested for the eighth anniversary on both lists. Pottery and/or willow seem a little out of place, which is why they have been replaced for the ninth anniversary by lace and/or linen. Likewise, tin/aluminum does not seem too practical for a tenth anniversary gift. Leather, on the other hand, makes a little more sense today. Steel and jewelry mark the eleventh anniversary by the traditional and modern lists of anniversary gifts, respectively. With the rising divorce rate, the modern list also recognizes length of marriage sooner. Instead of waiting until the thirtieth anniversary (traditional) to give pearl, it is the twelfth anniversary gift on the modern list, rather than silk or linen. Another example of marking milestones earlier is the fourteenth and fifteenth anniversaries on the modern list: gold jewelry and watches (rather than ivory and crystal). For the most part, after the fifteenth anniversary gift, gifts are given in intervals of five years. Most of the remaining anniversary gifts on the list are the same on both the traditional and modern lists, as they are gemstones. There are a couple differences, however. The twentieth anniversary used to mean china (now china is second anniversary),