Help me do something nice for my parents -- 30th anniversary edition

September 22, 2013 5:43 PM

My parents are celebrating their 30th anniversary on the 30th of this month. What do I get them?

I'm currently living overseas and need to buy my parents something nice for their anniversary. I'm thinking I'll buy them something on Amazon in the next couple days and get it shipped to them. But what?

They're both around 60 and don't have many shared interests. I know that diamond is the new standard 30th anniversary gift (per wikipedia) but I don't think I can swing that financially.

I'm looking to spend 100-150 USD, though I have two brothers who could kick in if there's something great that's more expensive and strikes me the right way. I'm thinking something material rather than experiential, as they're already taking a trip together.

What say you, hivemind?

posted by charlemangy to Human Relations (5 answers total)

When someone's birthday is the same as the date (they turn 25 on the 25th for example) it's called their champagne birthday. So this is sort of your parents' champagne anniversary! Maybe send them a nice bottle to share?
posted by rabbitbookworm at 6:12 PM on September 22, 2013 [1 favorite]

A painting of their house? (Assuming it's somewhere they've lived for a while, feel affection for, and have put substantial shared effort into). Timing might be an issue, but googling "custom photo painting" turns up a bunch of places online that will create handmade paintings from photos and boast quick turnaround.

Along similar lines: a couples' portrait session with a local photographer, or if they're not super into their own appearances, then a gift certificate for a family portrait session the next time all the kids are in town together? Technically experiential, but it'd lead to a concrete material keepsake.

Gift certificate to a scanning/digitizing service, so they can get all those old VHS home videos and paper photos into conveniently accessible DVD form?
posted by Bardolph at 6:19 PM on September 22, 2013

Photo book showing a history of their lives together. Tons of options available in every price range.

A picture of each of their kids holding a Happy Anniversary sign, made into a photo collage in a fancy frame.
posted by toastedbeagle at 5:10 AM on September 23, 2013

Response by poster: Thanks for the replies so far.

Just to clarify:

I'm not looking for something sentimental, time-consuming or resource-dependent. I'm 7200 miles away from home and all of the personal history stuff that is there, so I'm just looking for something pleasing, of good-quality and/or memorable that I can buy for my folks tomorrow and get sent to their house by 9/30.

I'm not a terribly good gift-giver, and my family is generally not good at making nice gestures for things like this, but I would like to make a nice gesture for my folks when I can't be around to celebrate a significant anniversary. Help this clueless gift-giver do something good!

Thanks!
posted by charlemangy at 5:33 AM on September 23, 2013

I gave my parents a lovely bottle of Tattinger champaign. They were in a hotel in San Francisco and my sister and I stopped by to deliver it. We all toasted their marriage and it was a nice moment. There was enough left for them to have another glass later that evening.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 6:36 AM on September 23, 2013