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Preface: This is Da_Goat, and this is actually about my parents 20th anniversary. I needed to change names and make as boring a title as I could think up in case my mom starts browsing Hatrack if I forget to close out. I'm hoping they'll stop reading the title when they get to, like, "and".
Oh yeah, paranoia kicks butt.
So...my parents are going to have their 20th anniversary in May, 2005, and it just hit me. I usually try to do something for them on their anniversary - a card, some little clay thing with my brother and sister, or something like that. The most I can remember giving them, though, (I mean, besides sappy stuff, like love and affection ) was matching gold plated rings that were, like, $12 at a pawn shop.
But this is their 20th Anniversary! I've got to do something...better.
So, what do I do? What have any of you done for another person's anniversary, or another person done for yours? Shoot me with some ideas.
Oh, and if any of you, due to some strange string of events, happen to meet my mother or father, this post never happened.
Posts: 1 | Registered: Dec 2004
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Something from the day they married? Can you get ahold of a copy of that day's newspaper from the city they were married in?
Any good stories about their courtship or engagement or wedding day that you could commemorate?
If they have copies of their wedding announcements, or any newspaper engagement announcement clippings, and some good shots of the wedding, you could have a framing place make a nice display of them for you.
And what sort of price range are we talking?
[ December 19, 2004, 01:56 AM: Message edited by: Chris Bridges ]
Posts: 7790 | Registered: Aug 2000
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You actually get stuff for them on their anniversary? Wow, I never did/do. However, My dad still gets a kick out of their 18th anniversary (about 6 years ago). He had gotten home from work with a nice bouquet of flowers. He set them on the counter and went to bed shortly there after. My mother was still at work, and didn't come home till much later. He was actually still awake when she walked through the door. She saw the flowers and read the "Happy Anniversary" note. Next thing he hears...."Sh!#!" My dad reached out into the darkness and said "point for me".
If my sister were here with me she would have oh so many ideas for you. She's the type that can get ideas for gifts for any occasion. She an arts and crafts type person too.
[ December 19, 2004, 02:02 AM: Message edited by: Stan the man ]
Posts: 2208 | Registered: Feb 2004
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Um, under $150 if I'm doing it by myself, under $300 or so if I could get friends and relatives to chip in.
I doubt I could get a newspaper from when they were married (and, even if I could, I doubt their marriage would be listed), but my grandparents may be able to hook me up with some good photos. Hmm...
All I know about the actual day they were married is that they had a lot of guests, and nobody liked the carrot cake they used for their wedding cake. From what I hear, everything else went smoothly. Not much different from other JW weddings aside from it, you know, being theirs.
Posts: 2292 | Registered: Aug 2003
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Aww... I was expecting crazy ranting from a newbie.
I've never given my parents an anniversary gift, so I'm not much help. What if you gave them a gift certificate to a nice restaurant and volunteered to watch your siblings?
Posts: 1658 | Registered: Sep 2003
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Well, helping with siblings is fairly understood. And I live in a hick city, so no real nice restaraunts (or, at least, nice restaraunts that my parents would enjoy) pop to mind.
Posts: 2292 | Registered: Aug 2003
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DaG, can you cook? Or can someone you know who would be willing to help? (and -- in this instance -- by cook, I do not mean "boil water" )
For my parents' 25th anniversary, I made duck a'l'orange with all the trimmings. Including the prettiest little baby carrots (complete with leafy tops), and potato galettes. My sibs helped with the serving and provided entertainment.
It was a lot of work -- I told them I wouldn't do it again until their 50th -- but worth every bit.
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What I did one year that they liked was put together a photo album with pictures of them. Some just with them around the house...or if we went out at night, and some with us on vacation. They seemed to like it...but of course it is only doable if you have a bunch of photos of your parents together.
Posts: 1901 | Registered: May 2004
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Rivka...uh...actually, the thought of just boiling water makes me cringe.
But I can microwave stuff, and pour milk on cereal. Sometimes, if I'm feeling daring (and that's only once a year, if that), I'll make a salad.
By the way, to help with perspective or whatever, my mom and dad are 42 and 40, respectively. Both extremely active JWs. My dad delivers pizza and used to be into writing songs (here is a CD with some of the songs he wrote). Mom is a Certified Nurse's Assistant and works at a nursing home. She likes to read, and usually chooses the more mainstream authors (John Grisham, Danielle Steele, Dean Koontz - It's okay, though, I like her anyway ).
Posts: 2292 | Registered: Aug 2003
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We had a surprise party and invited all of their friends. They were friends with a neighbor who invited them out to celebrate, and they had a walk-out basement. When my parents came over to pick them up for dinner, the friend asked my parents to go down to the basement to look at a pool table they were going to get rid of and when they came down, all their friends were there and yelled surprise! The party then moved more out of the basement and into the backyard. We bought 6 foot party subs and had desserts and soda and chips and stuff. It's pretty easy. And you can invite all your relatives and parents friends. It's especially handy if you have a neighbor that would allow you host the party at their house.
Posts: 9871 | Registered: Aug 2001
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C'mon, people, these suggestions are not going to give themselves...
This year absolutely sucks for them so far, and it's only February. I really want to do something for them.
Posts: 2292 | Registered: Aug 2003
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If you don't feel you can cook dinner by yourself, you could always enlist some friends to help.
Offer to take care of everything at home for the weekend so your parents can go off and enjoy themselves somewhere (camping, hiking, going to another city, heck, even just a hotel room in town).
Get a copy of the guest list from their wedding. Contact as many as possible and get them to share their memories or pictures of your parents and put it all together as a scrapbook. You can have other people besides the guests, too.
Posts: 3546 | Registered: Jul 2002
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A surprise party's always good for an anniversary. It doesn't have to be a big group, either. Maybe that way you could get help with cooking (do a potluck or something). With a nice cake, some balloons, and some good stories (from thier friends), it could be a really cool way to thanks them.
quote:My dad reached out into the darkness and said "point for me".
quote: Contact as many as possible and get them to share their memories or pictures of your parents and put it all together as a scrapbook.
DaGoat, I don't have a perfectly accurate sense of these things, but I strongly suspect that if you were to gather memories about them as a couple from all their friends and family members, you could have the stories (and pictures, if you have them) bound at Kinko's for under $50. I also suspect they would treasure it forever, and when one of them loses the other, it will be the most cherished comfort ever.
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![[Roll Eyes]](rolleyes.gif)
) was matching gold plated rings that were, like, $12 at a pawn shop.
![[Eek!]](eek.gif)
![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
![[Wink]](wink.gif)
-- but worth every bit.![[ROFL]](graemlins/rofl.gif)
