Gift-Filter: 10-year anniversary next week. Halp.

July 23, 2015 2:00 AM

Next week it'll be ten years since Mr Bookish and I started dating. Somehow it feels like my go-to gift ideas are not an option for this momentous event - and I am notoriously bad at thinking of gifts anyway. Help me out here.

In previous years the following gifts have been big hits: a signed Douglas Coupland novel, China Mieville's Bas-Lag novels, binoculars + Birds of Britain book, a Ghost World wallet, a hand-knitted jumper* and assorted t-shirts (including a Harold & Maude one this year for Valentine's).

(*not an option due to time constraints)

So, ten years.

I feel like I need to expand beyond tshirts and books (though he loves getting both). I was considering an experience-based one, but everything I can find seems very geared towards a certain type of guy (i.e. rally cars, F1, fishing or football) and nothing much for a vaguely geeky and arty man (whose only thoughts on Top Gear involves punching Jeremy Clarkson).

Mr Bookish does not use cufflinks, want an expensive leather wallet, has no interest in wines, and couldn't care less about craft beer. Personalised chalk boards, pillows, or glamour photos of me would be met with bemusement or outright giggling (can you tell I've been googling suggestions?).

He does like art, books, flaneuring, 1990s indie British bands, small-scale comics (though he's friends with most on the local scene, so has access to things beyond my ken), drawing, and cult films..

Annoyingly the man has already announced he has bought several awesome things, so the pressure's on. We're in Glasgow, Scotland, time's short and I do not have unlimited funds (he'd prefer small personal gifts over big, splashy ones, anyway). We already have plans for dinner, so I don't need suggestions along those lines :)

Any ideas, dear Metafilter?

posted by kariebookish to Shopping (19 answers total)

Best answer: What about a membership/subscription to something he enjoys + some more personal gift, like a print of a favourite painting or something that reminds him of the time/place/context where you first met?

Membership/subscription ideas:
- National Trust for Scotland membership;
- subscription to Private Eye or the London Review of Books (depending on his flavour of geeky);
- National Art Pass; or
- a book subscription.
posted by Aravis76 at 2:15 AM on July 23, 2015 [3 favorites]

Trip to London for Belle and Sebastian's anniversary shows?
posted by Pink Frost at 2:18 AM on July 23, 2015 [2 favorites]

This would be a really big gift and probably out of budget, but here's a book related experience. (I long to do this myself sometime.)
posted by frumiousb at 2:18 AM on July 23, 2015 [2 favorites]

A weekend away? Book a nice B&B somewhere if he likes hanging out somewhere quiet, or a posh hotel room in London if there's a show or exhibition he might like to see there. Or does he like a particular European destination? A weekend in Paris is super romantic, but there are plenty of other cities with literary and arty attractions he might be into.
posted by lollusc at 2:34 AM on July 23, 2015

Response by poster: Trying not to thread-sit :)

I travel a lot for work (including London) so we'd prefer to do something local-to-us. Doing a day trip out of Glasgow is an option (in the past we've done Isle of Arran, Loch Lomond, New Lanark, St Andrews etc) so any good ideas off-piste ideas for those would be great. Neither of us drive, though!
posted by kariebookish at 2:44 AM on July 23, 2015

Could you pay for a few nights in a remote cabin somewhere and arrange everything including lovely picnic dinner for when you get there, local sightseeing etc?

Go to one of the amazing islands... got friends on Mull, but they all seem to be just dripping with amazing views and walks...
posted by greenish at 2:56 AM on July 23, 2015

A copy of The Tin Woodman of Oz.
posted by brujita at 3:16 AM on July 23, 2015 [1 favorite]

You could take a trip on the train north from Glasgow towards Oban or Fort William? Stop in Arrochar and have a walk around and lunch, or take the Loch Lomond Ferry from Tarbet? From Oban take the ferry to one of the islands and stay overnight? I can second Arran, and I've heard also that Mull is lovely. If you can travel outside peak times it's cheaper.

You could also check if any of his favourite authors are appearing at the Edinburgh International Book festival next month? Combine with a trawl through the second-hand book shops in Grassmarket and a nice dinner.

Good luck!
posted by sedimentary_deer at 3:47 AM on July 23, 2015

Best answer: Darren Hayman, front man of 90s indie band Hefner, will draw/paint a watercolor picture of your dog (or other pet) for 70 pounds.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 4:01 AM on July 23, 2015 [6 favorites]

New Order in a Air-Raid shelter in Manchester?
December 6th (Sat 5th sold out)
posted by MarvinJ at 4:28 AM on July 23, 2015 [3 favorites]

Is there a baordgame you enjoy playing together i.e. backgammon or chess set?
Alternatively a daytrip visit to a hot springs or out of town gallery, or exhibition, theatre, gig or show or something of the like?
And/or a print/ museum quality book of his favourite artist(s)?
Art classes for his preferred media ?
posted by Under the Sea at 4:49 AM on July 23, 2015

Best answer: When thinking about something experiential, how about falconing? We did that in Newgrange, and it was an incredible, knock your socks off kind of adventure.
posted by batbat at 5:23 AM on July 23, 2015 [3 favorites]

Get a little photo book printed. Front and back cover + 1 photo of something memorable from each of the 10 years.

Flaneur: a walking tour (map? Date?) of Places That Remind Me Of Why I Love You.
posted by heatherann at 6:02 AM on July 23, 2015 [1 favorite]

For one of my best birthdays so far, my partner took me--as a surprise--to a local Russian bath house, then a tour of a craft brewery (with tastings), and ended with a seafood dinner. Nothing that blew a hole in the budget, but eminently memorable. Throwing it out there for consideration.
posted by AwkwardPause at 6:59 AM on July 23, 2015

I'm going to suggest something similar to robocop's post. Why not contact one of his local comic artist friends and commission a cute drawing of the two of you?
posted by kerning at 7:19 AM on July 23, 2015 [2 favorites]

This wouldn't be the full on gift, but a project I considered for my 5 year anniversary was to paint a simple board with the street addresses of significant places for our relationship - in a decor style he would like. (Without the explanations in parentheses - example addresses below are fictitious)

123 Main (first place we kissed)
2430 Lake (restaurant 1st date)
45 Maple (town hall - married)
6070 Elmwood (moment I knew he was it)
8012 Franklin (1st house together)


Ideally, some are addresses he'd not given thought to before - like who remembers the town hall address?
posted by vitabellosi at 7:48 AM on July 23, 2015 [1 favorite]

My husband got me a Kindle Fire for our anniversary last week and I love it so very much. So if he doesn't already have a tablet or use his smartphone for everything, perhaps that?
posted by Jacqueline at 4:14 PM on July 23, 2015

Best answer: First I'd like to thank you for introducing me to to the word flaneuring. I had no idea what it was and had to go look it up. Apparently there is a Flaneur Society and they have a Guide to Getting Lost which you may have already seen, if not, there it is. I wonder if your SO would like a sketch book to use while flaneuring in which he can draw, take photos, press leaves. and write descriptions?
posted by BoscosMom at 4:45 PM on July 23, 2015 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: Thank you all for your amazing suggestions! I've bookmarked this for future reference :)

I ended up getting him a photography course (one that involves plenty of walking about the city) as well as some smaller, more personal things (like a sketch book, art supplies and a badge with one of his favourite song lyrics).

I can always rely on Mefites to be amazing!
posted by kariebookish at 5:42 AM on July 30, 2015