| Anniversary |
Traditional |
Modern |
| First |
Paper |
Clocks |
| Second |
Cotton |
China |
| Third |
Leather |
Crystal/
Glass |
| Fourth |
Fruit/ Flowers |
Major
Appliance |
| Fifth |
Wood |
Silverware |
| Sixth |
Candy/
Iron |
Wood |
| Seventh |
Wool/Copper |
Desk Set |
| Eighth |
Bronze/
Pottery |
Linens/
Lace |
| Ninth |
Pottery/
Willow |
Leather |
| Tenth |
Tin/
Aluminum |
Diamond
Jewelry |
| Eleventh |
Steel |
Fashion
Jewelery |
| Twelfth |
Silk/
Linen |
Pearls |
| Thirteenth |
Lace |
Textiles/
Furs |
| Fourteenth |
Ivory |
Gold Jewelery |
| Fifteenth |
Crystal |
Watches |
| Twentieth |
China |
Platinum |
| Twenty-Fifth |
Silver |
Silver |
| Thirtieth |
Pearl |
Diamond |
| Thirty-Fifth |
Coral |
Jade |
| Fortieth |
Ruby |
Ruby |
| Forty-Fifth |
Sapphire |
Sapphire |
| Fiftieth |
Gold |
Gold |
| Fifty-Fifth |
Emerald |
Emerald |
| Sixtieth |
Diamond |
Diamond |
| Sixty-Fifth |
Blue Sapphire |
Blue Sapphire |
| Seventieth |
Platinum |
Platinum |
| Seventy-Fifth |
Diamond |
Diamond |
| Eightieth |
Oak |
Diamond/
Pearl |
| Ninetieth |
Granite |
Diamond/
Emerald |
|
A Little History on Anniversary Gifts
According to the celebration experts at Hallmark,
the tradition of giving year-specific anniversary gifts
originated in the Middle Ages. It was a Medieval Germanic
custom, for example, for a husband to give his wife a silver garland on
their 25th anniversary,
and a gold garland on their 50th.
The other substances can be
traced to early religious beliefs in natural charms for luck or
protection. Assigning those substances to particular
anniversary years
seems to be the work of the Victorians,
those classifying over-achievers. The first
known reference to gifts
of wood for the fifth anniversary (the "Wooden Wedding"), for example,
came from around 1875. We have Queen Victoria herself to
thank for another. Diamonds had already been
named for the 75th anniversary, but in 1897, England
celebrated
Victoria's Diamond Jubilee on the 60th anniversary of her accession to
the throne. The diamond was quickly adopted as the
appropriate 60th
wedding anniversary gift, as well.
The full list of anniversary gifts we use today was first
documented by Emily Post in her 1922 book, "Etiquette
in Society, in Business, in Politics, and at Home".
She suggested gifts for the first, fifth,
tenth, fifteenth, twentieth,
twenty-fifth and fiftieth wedding anniversaries.
In 1957 she expanded
the list to include the first 15 years and for every five years after
that.
The
so-called "modern" gift list is actually harder to credit, and seems to
have been influenced by lobbyists from the major appliance and desk set
industries.
By
far, the most practical and useful gift list was devised by writer and
artist Sandra
Boynton, and we include her list here with her permission. |
