All right, so a sheet of paper and a ball of cotton doesn’t quite have the flair of a swanky anniversary gift. Never fear – here are some stylish, original and creative gift ideas incorporating the age old traditional gifts.
1st: Paper
Best-sellers or coffee table books. Framed portrait (photo paper counts, right?). Movie/celebrity posters. Letter-writing set. Journal. Guestbook. Origami gifts. Airline tickets. Charity donation receipts.
2nd: Cotton
Bedspreads and quilt covers (good king-sized manchester is hard to find!). Tablecloths. Rugs. Beach towels. Matching t-shirts. Cloth accessories. Woven tapestries. Wallscrolls.
3rd: Leather
Leather covered feet seats. Cow-hide rugs. Australian sheepskin boots. Bedroom apparel or accessories. Seat covers. Leather fashion accessories. Wallets or purses. Leather clothing.
4th: Linen
Manchester. Scarf or pashmina. Traditional woven art, tapestries. Traditional clothing. Woven placemats and table accessories. Cloth fashion accessories. Estée Lauder “White Linen” fragrance.
5th: Wood
Wood carvings. Trees for planting. Lucky bamboo. Decorative boxes (Oxfam has a stylish collection). Coasters and placemats. Wood furniture. Stylish bonsai.
6th: Iron
A state-of-the-art iron (careful, men!). Iron ornaments or statues. Iron railings (renovation time). Antiques. Nutritional supplements. Dinner (order beef!).
7th: Wool/Copper
Household products (copper wool can be used in pest control). Orgasmatron. Pens. Lamps and lighting. Electrical and electronic goods. Jewellery. Wool clothing.
8th: Bronze
Statues or ornaments. Antique or collectibles. Tanning salon voucher (“bronzing”).
9th: Pottery/China
Crockery sets or individual pieces. Designer-direct pottery. Pottery classes. Vases. Commemorative plates or cups.
10th: Tin/Aluminium
Foodstuff hampers. Airline tickets. Engraved pens. Metalwork handicrafts. Fancy corkscrews. Electronic accessories.
11th: Steel
Jewellery. A new home. Kitchenware. Barbecueware. Steel handicrafts. A Danielle Steel novel.
12th: Silk
Silk manchester. Scarf or pashmina. Traditional batik or tapestries. Traditional clothing. Silk necktie. Fashion accessories. A silkworm farm.
13th: Lace
Lingerie. Lace household cloths. Scarf or pashmina with lace trim. Fabric doileys or placemats. Liqueur chocolate (“laced”).
14th: Ivory
Carvings. Jewellery. Elephant statues. Ivory skincare and bath products. Ivory coloured gift items. Piano (“ivories”).
Please note, we do not condone the use of authentic ivory tusks; we recommend wood, imitation or genuinely old ivory antiques for all suggestions above.
15th: Crystal
Crystal animal figurines. Vases. Crystalware glasses and plates. Fortune-telling session (“crystal” ball). Jewellery (with swarovski crystals).
20th: China
Figurines. Jewellery box. Porcelain brooch. A holiday (to China).
25th: Silver
Jewellery. Silverware. Professionalwear (eg. cufflinks, money clip, stationery, etc.). A car(?).
30th: Pearl
Exotic art. Jewellery. Diving adventure (you’re not that old!). Dental work (“pearly whites”). Book (“pearls of wisdom”). Holiday to Penang (“pearl of the orient”).
50th: Gold
Hey, if this doesn’t explain itself, we can’t help you!
