dearyou
Anniversaries 2 min read1 study cited

Anniversary gift ideas for your parents

Parents usually say they don't need anything, and they mean it. What they do love is being reminded of their own story, especially by their kids. These ideas do exactly that.

By the dearyou team ·

A smiling older couple standing together in festive clothes

Tell their story back to them

  • Their journey as a passport: the wedding, the first home, every family trip, stamped.
  • Old photos, digitised. Scan the albums, put them in order, add the dates.
  • A message from every family member, collected in one place.
  • Their wedding song, with a note on what you know of that day.
A dearyou templateOur PassportTheir life together as a passport: every place that mattered, stamped, from the wedding to now.Play the demo free

Give them time

  • A dinner reservation, with you handling everything at home.
  • A short trip back to where they got married or met.
  • A day where they don't cook, clean or plan anything.

TipAsk a relative for wedding-day stories. You'll find details your parents forgot to tell you.

What the research says

From the research
Nostalgic memories, usually of time with close others, have been found to lift mood and strengthen people's sense of connection to those around them.
[1] Wildschut et al., 2006Journal of Personality and Social Psychology

In practice: old photos, wedding stories and messages from family aren't just sweet. They're exactly the kind of memories that make people feel close.

Questions people ask

What is a meaningful anniversary gift for parents?+

Something that tells their story back to them: digitised old photos, messages from the family, or their journey together as a personalised passport.

What do you gift parents who don't want anything?+

Time and memories: a dinner where they don't lift a finger, their old photos digitised and ordered, or their story told back to them as a passport or album.

Make it yours

A dearyou templateThe DailyPlay the demo free, then fill it with your own photos, words and song.Play the demo free A dearyou templateOur AlbumPlay the demo free, then fill it with your own photos, words and song.Play the demo free
#parents#anniversary#family#photos

Sources

  1. [1]Wildschut, T., Sedikides, C., Arndt, J. & Routledge, C. (2006). Nostalgia: Content, triggers, functions. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 91(5), 975–993. Read