Traditional or modern 40th wedding anniversary gift ideas

Have you hit on an idea for your husband’s 40th wedding anniversary gift, or are you stumbling? We think it’s safe to say you fall into the latter camp, otherwise you wouldn’t be here. You’d be striding your way down the High Street, with your choice of 40th anniversary gifts confidently paid for and wrapped. Or you might be sitting in the comfort of your armchair surfing the online gift stores to find the best price for your chosen item. But you’re not doing either. You typed ‘40th wedding anniversary gifts for him’ into the search bar, and up popped lots of hits for 40th wedding anniversary gift ideas. Great news if you’re stuck for ideas, because there are plenty of choices.

There is nobody on this earth, apart from his mother, that knows your husband better than you do. But still you’re stuck for ideas. All that’s needed is a little nudge in the right direction and your husband’s 40th wedding anniversary gift will be sorted. We’re here to provide that nudge, with a number of interesting ideas. Spend a few minutes reading what we’ve got to say and your gift buying will become a whole lot easier.

40th Anniversary Gifts For a Husband

Traditional or modern 40th wedding anniversary gift ideas

As with many anniversary years there are a number of themes associated with the event. These themes come in very handy if you’re troubled about buying a gift. It’s very easy to become completely overwhelmed with all the possibilities. Which makes having a particular direction advantageous. The traditional theme for 40th anniversary gifts is a ruby. And the great news is the modern theme is exactly the same. The gemstone associated with 40 year wedding anniversary gifts is also a ruby, but the flower is either a gladiolus, or geranium.

That’s quite a narrow field if you want to travel the same road as thousands of anniversary couples before you. But don’t feel pressured to follow the crowd, as the sky is really the limit. There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to anniversary gifts, just the preferences of the receiver, and the message you want to convey.

40th anniversary gifts for husbands featuring ruby

The obvious choice for this kind of gift would be an item of jewelry featuring a ruby. For your husband that could mean a classic pair of cufflinks, a ruby ring, or a tie pin with a ruby in the center. There are however a number of other great options, including:

• A bottle of ruby red wine
• Ruby colored glassware
• A CD containing songs that feature rubies – Ruby Tuesday by the Rolling Stones, Ruby by Kenny Rogers, Ruby Dear by Talking Heads are just a few examples
• Vacation to a place with ruby in the name – Ruby Falls in Chattanooga, Tennessee, or visit the ruby mines in Cherokee, North Carolina

A personalized 40th anniversary gift will score big with your spouse

When it comes to giving your husband an anniversary gift it will always earn you extra brownie points if you make the gift personal. Picking a generic item of jewelry, or item off the shelf, won’t show you put much thought into your gift. Add a spot of personalization, either as an engraving, etching, or by including a special message, and your gift will lift itself out of the doldrums. He will immediately see that you thought carefully about the gift and wanted to make it special by adding a touch of uniqueness.

There are other things you can do that will make a gift more personal. Pick a gift that will be useful. A gift that is practical rather than decorative. In these cases you need to consider the feelings of your man. What he likes doing, how he spends his free time, and whether there is a 40th wedding anniversary gift idea that will save him some time. If your husband doesn’t find the gift useful it will spend its remaining days locked in the attic and never be seen again.

Do you have to give your husband a 40th wedding anniversary gift?

Absolutely! Even if he’s the kind of guy who only remembers anniversaries after some gentle reminding. A marriage consists of two halves, that come together to make a whole. An important part of maintaining a strong relationship is the exchanging of gifts. A fortieth wedding anniversary is definitely one of those occasions that deserves celebration. Why should it be only you who gets an anniversary gift? There is no reason one half should get to celebrate without the other.

Take a look at some of our other pages if you’re still a little confused, because we’ve also got suggestions for many other anniversary years. Not all of them revolve around a particular theme, so would suit any anniversary year.