A fifth anniversary gift?

September 19, 2008 11:29 PM

Can you help me figure out a gift for my husband for our fifth wedding anniversary?

My husband and I will be celebrating our fifth wedding anniversary in a few weeks, and I'd like to get him a really nice gift. The problem is that he has very few material "wants," and when he does want something he gets it himself. We often give each other "experiences" for birthdays and such, but this time I would like something that can be a keepsake. On top of that, I am truly dismal at gift giving, bad enough that it's a family joke. I want to rise above that label this time. :))

At first, I thought I might get him some jewelry, but after an evening of pointing out things online while asking "would a man *really* wear that?" there's really no jewelry he seems interested in. He wears a wedding ring, and that's it. He already has a nice watch and a nice wallet. He works in a casual office so he has no need for cuff links or tie tacks. He said he thinks that bracelets on men are weird (and whether they are or not, that means he wouldn't wear one.) Necklaces are right out.

Personality wise, he's pretty much a geek -- he enjoys computer games (World of Warcraft, especially) and baseball. He already has a lot of baseball related memorabilia, so I'd like to avoid that this time around. He likes gadgets but gets them for himself if he really wants something. He really, really does not like the steampunk movement.

I know that the traditional gift for the fifth anniversary is wood, but I'm not stuck on that. I've scoured Etsy, Uncommon Goods, and Think Geek with no luck.

Finally, I'm willing to spend up to around $200. I appreciate any suggestions you can give.

(anon because he might run across this and I'd like plausible deniability.)

posted by anonymous to shopping (12 comments total)

Is there any chance he'd like a hand-crafted wooden box of some sort? Perhaps even a puzzle box?
posted by batmonkey at 11:58 PM on September 19, 2008

Straight razor, badger hair brush, and some nice shaving soap/aftershave will run you about $200. It's not a bad gift, I was happy when I picked up mine.

[not everyone will want the straight razor, but even so if you can work in a good brush+soap to a gift, I highly recommend it.]
posted by Lemurrhea at 11:59 PM on September 19, 2008

a really nice fountain pen, possibly even an antique one with wood grain look. oh , and congrats
posted by docmccoy at 12:18 AM on September 20, 2008

Skeleton watch.

No man alive can resist their siren call.
posted by aramaic at 12:19 AM on September 20, 2008 [1 favorite]

Wood keyboard and mouse

...or how about a wood bead bracelet?
posted by rhizome at 12:20 AM on September 20, 2008

Um, I should also say, if it happens to be something that you personally make, it's practically guaranteed to be knee-melting.

...let me rephrase that: any man who doesn't have his knees melted by such a thing must be killed. No offense personally, and I'm sorry, but he will have to be killed. It's like breaking the sound barrier -- a price has to be paid, and everyone knows what it is. There's a demon out there, and it demands payment.
posted by aramaic at 12:25 AM on September 20, 2008 [2 favorites]

My husband is a geek and was drooling over some chess boards today, with unusual pieces (done up a bit like dragons and the like). If you don't play, let him teach you (and vice versa), and if you do play and not much, it's still a beautiful thing to have on your coffee table.

Secondly, one gift that worked really well for my geek, was a beautiful bowl for him to throw his change and keys into, and even though I've pared down the possession in preparation for us to move post-kids, he's kept a dragon I bought him years ago, on his bookcase. He also has somewhere a singularly useless hip flask that he adores (he quit drinking) and a very class Swiss army knife. (It occurs to me, I've been very good to this guy).

My geek also thinks knives are cool. We ended up with 4 sets of steak knives and 5 sets of kitchen cutting implements until I put my foot down and said, no more. So maybe knives, or a personal knife. It's a boy thing. I don't get it.
posted by b33j at 1:24 AM on September 20, 2008

Gifts I've given my husband (totally not into jewelry or bric-a-brac; electronics geek, all-round fix-it-yourself guy, wide range of interests) that he's loved:

Police (etc.) Scanner; this kind of thing - there's a wide range of prices

Telescope; this was great not just for star-gazing and eclipse parties, but we lived on the top of an 8-story building and this was really cool for just checking out the city. (No, we didn't get pervy with it!)

A good Leatherman; there are different styles for different activities/interests; but some are a bit heavy for carrying around all the time. If he wouldn't have use for a bunch of specialized tools, there's a special edition Squirt (click on the "Lágrima de Luna" - small with basic tools for key-ring) in silver that might make a very nice keepsake

a clamp-on desk magnifier lamp that he uses pretty much every day, since he works on a lot of small electronics components (something like this, but not quite that expensive)

Hmmm, what else? Can't remember. The next thing I want to get him is an e-reader, though I'll probably hold out for this one, if the price makes sense. I was going to get him a definitive hardback "bible" for his particular interest/profession (sound/audio), but the price would be about the same as an e-reader, and it would weigh a ton and not be transportable, so I'll probably get an e-book of same sometime after the e-reader. But for certain interests, like cinema, art, anything where images are critical, a luxury hardback would still be the best bet.
posted by taz at 3:41 AM on September 20, 2008

I think the idea of a puzzle box is a good one - if he is the kind of guy who would like it. You could even hide something fun inside...like 2 tickets to something you could do together. Then you get the experience and the keepsake!

Also - I often recommend this sight for laser etched moleskin notebooks.

But then again, I like moleskin notebooks....
posted by rvrlvr at 5:19 AM on September 20, 2008

How about a favorite wedding picture and your vows framed in a wooden frame?
posted by Abbril at 5:49 AM on September 20, 2008

If you're feeling brave you can do boudoir photography. If you're self-conscious about your body, a good professional will help you find poses that maximize your hotness while minimizing your flaws. You'll also be in charge of what you wear, so you can keep to what is comfortable for you. Lots of boudoir photographers are ladies and you can bring a friend if you need moral support.

Lots of people do these as wedding gifts for their sweeties, so the best place to find a recommendation is to try your local wedding chat board at someplace like the knot, weddingbee or indiebride.
posted by Alison at 8:05 AM on September 20, 2008

World of Warcraft + b33j's post = me thinking of this.
posted by gnomeloaf at 8:13 AM on September 20, 2008 [1 favorite]