Wood Cutting Boards- A Great Anniversary Gift

We have always said that a wood cutting board makes the perfect gift. I came across the following article at www.cuttingboardusa.com, that talks about the appropriate anniversary for a particular year. Check out the the traditional gift for the fifth year:

Strong and Everlasting: Wood, the Traditional Anniversary Gift

What do a magazine subscription, a plush housecoat, a leather handbag, a pear tree and a wood cutting board have in common? These are all traditional gifts associated to the first, second, third, fourth and fifth year wedding anniversaries.

The tradition of offering a meaningful gift on a specific anniversary dates back to the Middle Ages. The word “anniversary”, meaning returning every year, comes from the Latin term “anniversarius”, itself derived from the words “year” and “turn”. An anniversary commemorates and celebrates an event on the same day every year that the initial event occurred. The word “anniversary” was initially used at Catholic feasts in order to commemorate Saints.

Published in 1922, Etiquette in Society, in Business, in Politics and at Home, written by Emily Post, included name suggestions for the first, fifth, tenth, twentieth, twenty fifth, fiftieth and seventy fifth wedding anniversaries. In later editions of the book, gift suggestions for additional years were added. This all encompassing list is known today as the “traditional” gift list. Essentially, the longer the marriage, the more durable and precious the material that is associated to the anniversary gift. Not to worry though, chances are you won’t have to empty your savings funds in order to purchase the 100 year anniversary gift: the 10k diamond!

• The first to fifth year anniversary gifts and their meaning are as follows:
• First: paper represents the strength resulting from the interlaced connection of individual threads.
• Second: cotton represents durability and versatility, two essential qualities to a lasting and successful marriage.
• Third: leather represents resiliency, durability, warmth, strength and flexibility, all factors that will help a marriage continue to strive.
• Fourth: fruits or flowers represent the blossoming partnership of the couple.
• Fifth: wood, strong and everlasting, represents the solidified relationship and the marriage bond.

Each year has a traditional and a modern gift, a colour, a flower and a gemstone that is associated to it. With all this, you don’t have any excuses for not finding the perfect gift!

Take for example, the fifth year anniversary; wood is the traditional gift, silverware is the modern (representing the connection between two people when sharing meals amongst family, friends and children). Colours are blue, pink and turquoise and the flower is daisy (representing innocence, loyalty and purity); the gemstone is sapphire or pink tourmaline…  Read the rest here