by Esther Andrews

Created on: August 06, 2008   Last Updated: August 13, 2008

Stressing over what to get the special woman in your life for her anniversary? This simple guide offers solutions for any budget and for any anniversary from 6 months to 10+ years.

The usual approaches of flowers, dinner, or jewelry are all safe (especially diamonds!) but even these get predictable. You could follow anniversary traditions, but "paper" for 1 year and "cotton" for 2? If you still want her around in 25 years, you need to be a little more creative.

The key to knowing what she wants are 2 simple things:

1) Listen. Women drop hints ALL the time (usually not that subtly). Listen. Remember what she says; write it down if you need to. Then save whatever it is for when she least expects it. She may point out something she likes at the mall or tell you about something her girlfriend just got that she loves. The fact that you heard her and remembered will be almost as important, if not more important, than the actual gift.

2) Look around. She gives off clues to what's important to her everywhere.
- Are her closets packed? A gift certificate to her favorite store.
- Will she only go out with perfect hair and makeup? A spa gift certificate.
- Does she have photographs everywhere? Frame a nice photo of the two of you on an especially memorable or romantic occasion. When you give it to her, get mushy and sentimental about what that moment meant to you.
-Think about her hobbies. Does she love to write? Get her a beautiful new pen and journal (or go extravagant and get her a new laptop).
-Have small children? Find a sitter and plan a getaway. Whether it's a trip to Hawaii or a night at the Holiday Inn down the street, she NEEDs the break. Get some champagne. Lay a flower on her pillow when she's not looking.
-Does she like surprises? You can even do something very simple, but surprisingly romantic. Even if you can't cook a gourmet meal, get her favorite take-out food, and spread out a candlelight picnic all over the floor.

One simple "don't" to prevent a disaster: don't try to "fix" your woman, i.e., if you think she'll appreciate a gym membership, guess again (she knows she could stand to lose a few pounds). The anniversary is the #1 occasion to NOT send the message that there's anything wrong with your gal.

Happy Anniversary!

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