At four months into my marriage, I still consider myself a newlywed. However, I believe in always being prepared. Already I am contemplating the anniversary gifts I will bestow on the love of my life. Roses immediately come to mind, however that seems much too mundane. Besides, I showered her with roses at our wedding.

Stuck on what to get for the upcoming wedding anniversary? I checked out a free calendar from my place of employment and found that it also listed anniversary gifts by year of anniversary. This year, it turns out that my wife should be expecting clocks (yes, plural) for our anniversary. Alternately, if we lived in olden times she could look forward to a gift of paper. I'm an old-fashioned kind of a guy so my wife is receiving a paper clock this year, the lucky woman.

Facing the next anniversary is puzzling. What to give next? Should it be dishes or cotton or something leather? Avoid asking a florist, because it's predictable that they will suggest a huge bunch of roses that wholesales for mere pennies but will be cheerfully sold to you for $150 or worse.

I noticed a problem with the wedding gift suggestions on my trusty calendar. Every year from one to fifteen had a theme, but there was a sudden jump to the 20 year mark. So, what on earth do you do when you've been married 19 years and don't want to be "practical" with some boring gift that says the magic in the marriage is all over?

The "practical gift" is one of those gifts where you are sort of embarrassed that you took the time to wrap up. Dust mop heads and 75 watt light bulbs don't inspire the sort of romantic embrace as a diamond ring. They do, however let your wife know that you know what she really needs, even if she was about to run to the store and get it herself.

A much more economical choice for an anniversary gift is making a batch of "love coupons." Grab some kind of paper and create coupons good for a massage or household chore to be done by you without grumbling, redeemable any time. While still practical, this homemade gift proves that you put enough though and time in to show that you really care.

With luck, you now have a few ways to treat your sweetheart well. As for myself, while I have any number of things I could get my wife for our anniversary, I know that she loves roses, so that's what she will get.

Sending roses to your spouse's workplace from trusted florists is a great way to set the right tone for any anniversary year. Picking out romantic anniversary gifts is easy when you remember the feelings you had on your wedding day