The Alabaster Anniversary

When I was a little girl, my grandparents kept a beautiful silver wall hanging to commemorate their 25th wedding anniversary. It had Mary and Joseph on it with a big number 25 between them. That hung on their wall for as long as I could remember.

When I was in high school they celebrated their 50th anniversary with gold party favors and decorations all around the church hall. Everything from the program at their special Mass to my grandpa’s necktie was steeped in gold – the color of the day!

Maybe that’s why I like the idea that there are certain special “gifts” or materials that go with each anniversary. My son and his wife recently had their first wedding anniversary – the “paper” anniversary. When I went to get them something I wanted to find something special to commemorate their first year of married life. I found a charming paper lantern to memorialize the occasion in the years to come, or for however long paper things last.

Once you get past 30 years of marriage (the pearl anniversary) the items that go with each subsequent anniversary are kind of  unusual and rare until you make it to 40 (the ruby anniversary). A few years ago we had our coral anniversary and last year was bone china. With teens, tweens and a toddler around, it didn’t seem wise to bring those types of items into the household.

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