Anniversary Gifts

I am a very traditional person, well I try to be, seeing as I had both kids before getting married, maybe I am not as traditional as I would like to be.
But one area that I have always been traditional is in the area of gift giving for Anniversaries.
I have always used the gift list that people refer to all the time.

Gifts by the year
This list was compiled by librarians at the Chicago Public Library’s Information Center Sources. The traditional gift is listed first (with alternatives in parentheses), and the modern gift is second.

1st: Paper – Clocks

2nd: Cotton – China

3rd : Leather – Crystal, glass

4th : Linen (silk) – Appliances

5th : Wood – Silverware

6th : Iron – Wood objects

7th : Wool (copper) – Desk sets

8th: Bronze – Linens, lace

9th : Pottery (China) – Leather goods

10th : Tin/aluminum – Diamond

11th : Steel – Fashion jewelry

12th : Silk – Pearls, colored gems

13th : Lace – Textiles, furs

14th: Ivory – Gold jewelry

15th : Crystal – Watches

20th : China – Platinum

25th : Silver – Sterling silver

30th : Pearl – Diamond

35th : Coral (Jade) – Jade

40th : Ruby

45th : Sapphire

50th : Gold

55th : Emerald

60th: Diamond

75th : Diamonds/diamondlike stones/gold

I haven't quite worked out why they have had to come up with a modern version of the list?? Nothing wrong with the traditional one as far as I am concerned, apart from it definitely makes you have to think a little when coming up with the gift.
When searching the internet for this list I came across the following with it....

When Laura and Bob Robertson-Boyd sold their home several years ago, one condition was non-negotiable: The lilac bush in back of the house would move with them to their new home in Bexley, Ohio.
“It’s not a bush, it’s my fifth anniversary present,” Laura Robertson-Boyd said.
The bush was her husband’s romantic interpretation of “wood,” the traditional fifth-year anniversary present. The couple, who celebrated their 10th anniversary in September, use the list as a guideline for gift exchanges.
“It takes much more planning, and it requires thought,” said Bob Robertson-Boyd, 40. “The care and special attention reinforces the original idea of putting the other person first.”

The idea of attaching symbolic presents to particular anniversaries is centuries old, and in modern times has been adapted as a marketing gimmick by retailers.

Many couples still consult the list in a nod to tradition, for a sense of whimsy or simply out of desperation when they can’t come up with a gift idea.
The practice of giving silver for the 25th anniversary originated in medieval Germany. The wood anniversary traces back to a 17th-century Celtic tradition of giving a carved wooden spoon as a token of affection.

In the U.S., a list of gift ideas for the first 15 years and every five years after that was compiled in 1937 by the American National Retail Jewelers’ Association. Paper (first year), copper (seventh) and tin (10th) are a few of the designated gifts.
Since then, an updated list adding jewelry and more high-ticket items also has been created. Clocks join paper for year No. 1, for instance.

It’s not uncommon for newlyweds to start a tradition of following the list, said Sheri Stritof, a marriage educator who writes about anniversaries for the Web site About.com. She and her husband, Bob, regularly field e-mails from readers looking for gift suggestions. “It’s a real popular topic,” she said.

Chris Moyer pulled up the list on the Internet as his first anniversary drew near. He thought it would appeal to his wife’s traditional and romantic side, and ended up sending paper roses.
His wife, Elizabeth, was impressed, he said. He figures he’ll use the list next year, too.
“It’s handy for me because I’m horrible at giving gifts,” said Moyer, who lives outside Hartford, Conn.
journalgazette

I do remember that on my parents 24th wedding anniversary I gave them an ornament of china flowers. 20th = china and the list I referred to at the time (1988) had 4th = flowers, so therefore China Flowers.

Another site I checked out, Canadian site, had fruit or flowers as their 4th year gift. So at the end of the day, I guess you just find a list and stick to that one, as they all vary slightly from each other

I still have 8 months until my first anniversary, but paper is probably what I will try to aim for as a traditional anniversary gift when the time comes.