Traditional Gift-Giving

• Each year of marriage is assigned a traditional gift. The traditional first anniversary gift is paper, and the second is cotton. If you and your spouse enjoy these guidelines, create a tradition of giving the gift dictated by each year, but add twist: see who can give the most creative gift that is still within the gift category. For example, the default gift for the 35th anniversary (coral) is often jewelry, but you could take your spouse on a snorkeling trip to see a magnificent coral reef.
  
  

Travel Traditions

• Getting away from it all once a year can give your marriage an injection of excitement and thrill. Choose a place one year in advance, research it, save up and make plans. Take turns choosing a trip theme: history, beaches, being outdoors or getting back to nature. Alternatively, you can each take a few days off of work and save up, but do not make any concrete plans until the last minute. Choose somewhere that looks fun and take a spontaneous trip together. Spontaneity often sparks romance and a sense of adventure.
  
  

Date Re-Creation Tradition

• Even if you did not have an especially long courtship, you probably have plenty of fond memories of dating. Every year, choose a date from your courtship time and re-create it. You can be as exact as you like: wear the same clothes, order the same food or even pretend to still be dating. Reliving memories this way can help reignite old feelings of passion and excitement, in addition to giving married spouses a chance to reflect on how they have changed in the intervening years.
  
  

International Wedding Tradition

• Every year, get married again - but use another country's traditions. Research wedding traditions from around the world - there are hundreds - and pick one that appeals to you. In Morocco, for example, brides take a ceremonial milk bath and their skin is painted with henna tattoos. Danish couples hold the wedding cake knife together, delivering slices to each guests in an old tradition meant to keep evil spirits away. Incorporating elements of international traditions into your anniversary tradition is educational and will likely fascinate your guests.