What Should I Gift You For Your Wedding Anniversary?

Image by africankelli via Flickr

My husband and I will have been married for twelve years this coming March. Twelve years – I can’t believe we made it! We started out as mere children, with no idea what the future held in store. Now, having matured and grown together, we have two happy, healthy children, a rambling old house, a pile of debt and each other.

This day was considered very special in our house. As young children, we would count our pennies and coins with care, since we wanted to gift our parents the best anniversary present ever! The perfect card was hunted out, even if it took weeks to do so! And best of all, we bought all the ingredients for a cake and baked it ourselves! Truly their wedding anniversary was something to look forward to!

I remember one year, during a time period when our mother was in love with everything wicker and rattan, we found what we considered to be the best gift ever! In a little, whimsical gift shop in town, in the very front window sat a little wicker basket. Inside the basket were five coaster, each with an intricate wicker frame. The centre of each coaster had an asian-inspired water color painting, protected behind glass. My sisters and I were in love! This would indeed be our very best wedding anniversary present we had ever found for our parents! We entered the store, wide-eyed and shyly went to the customer service desk to ask about the price. We found out that the coaster set was only $7.50! That left us with just over $3.00 after tax – plenty to pay for gift wrapping and maybe even a bow!

Like all families, ours had their fights and arguments too. During one such fight which threatened to turn violent, our mother swiped one of the coffee tables with her arm. The coasters were placed on that table and came down with a crash! It seemed like our esteem and love for our parents lay shattered near the table! The event still fills me with sadness!

In the end, our parents stuck together. There were more storms and arguments along the way, but almost every year we managed to pull together some sort of celebration in honor of their years together. Sometimes it would just be a card with best wishes; other years we’d go all out and spring for an anniversary gift. These later gifts cost much more money than the wedding anniversary presents we would select as children, however, the coaster set of many years ago, is still remembered fondly for the love and care behind the gift and the thought that went into it. And when we do visit our parents home, up on a shelf, away from any angry outbursts, sits that little coaster set. It maybe a little bit dusty, and there are a few scratches and broken bits. But, it still holds testament to our parents marriage and the years they’ve spent together.

The same love and fondness for wedding anniversary celebrations has passed on to our children. They too enjoy creating that special card and baking a cake year after year. And each year of course, brings a special anniversary gift from both of them!