25th Anniversary Gift Ideas for Your Husband

Twenty-five years is the silver anniversary, and it deserves more than a card on the kitchen counter. The best 25th anniversary gift for a husband honors what he has carried for the family, in something he will use or keep for the next 25. Here are 11 ideas, from a silver money clip to dinner with his groomsmen. Our top pick is a song about your marriage, because he has probably never heard anyone say those things out loud.

Hear a Songbond song before you choose

This one was made for another family. Yours would carry his name and your stories.

11 25th anniversary gift ideas for your husband

1. A song about your 25 years ($39.90). Share how you met, the jobs he worked, the things he fixed at midnight and what he is like with the kids. Songbond turns it into an original song, ready within 24 hours.
2. A sterling silver money clip. Engrave your wedding date, or a short line only he will understand. $60 to $150.
3. Silver cufflinks for the party. If there is a celebration, he needs something to wear. His initials on one and the number 25 on the other. $80 to $250.
4. An engraved silver tankard. For the beer he drinks on the porch every Friday evening. $60 to $150.
5. A bottle from the year you married. A wine from your wedding year, found through a good wine shop, to open on the night. Usually $60 to $300.
6. Dinner with his groomsmen. Track down his best man and the others and book a table. They may not have been in one room since the wedding.
7. The trip he keeps mentioning. The fishing lodge, the golf course or the ballpark he has talked about for years. $300 and up.
8. A first flying lesson. Many small airfields offer a short introductory flight where he takes the controls with an instructor beside him. $150 to $300.
9. The instrument he used to play. Have his old guitar restrung and set up, or buy a new one, and book a few lessons. $150 to $400.
10. The grill or smoker he keeps looking at. For the man who cooks for everyone at every family gathering. $300 to $900.
11. A letter listing 25 things he carried. The night shifts, the car seats, the second mortgage, the move across the state. One line each. It costs nothing and he will keep it in a drawer for good.

How to pick his silver anniversary gift

Silver is the tradition, but you do not have to follow it. A silver piece works best for a man who wears accessories or likes things that last. For a man who does not, put the money into time: a trip, a lesson or a night with old friends. Listen for the thing he mentions and then talks himself out of. That is usually the gift.

• If he likes classic things: the money clip, the cufflinks or the tankard.
• If he has put himself last for years: the trip, the instrument or the smoker.
• If he is quietly sentimental: the song or the letter.

When to give it: at the party or in private

A 25th often comes with a party, and it is tempting to give the big gift in front of everyone. Many husbands would rather not open something emotional with forty people watching. Give the private gift, the letter or the song, on the morning of your anniversary, just the two of you. Save the public moment for something lighter, like the cufflinks or a toast. If you do want the song played at the party, ask him first. Some men love that. Others would rather hear it alone the first time.

Make his 25th anniversary song

Create a 25th anniversary song for your husband. Share your story and his song is ready within 24 hours. If the date is close, express delivery gets it to you in about an hour.

Also in the Journal: 25th anniversary song ideas and an anniversary song for your husband.