• A 50 year marriage calls for a celebration!happy mature couple image by Galina Barskaya from Fotolia.com
  
  A marriage that endures for 50 years is indeed golden. According to the Elegant Anniversary website, the custom of associating a 50th wedding anniversary with gold gifts started in Germany centuries ago. The wife was given a wreath of gold to commemorate the couple's lifelong commitment. A gift made of gold is traditional but any gift that celebrates this milestone is appropriate.
  
  

White House Greetings

• You can request a greeting card to celebrate this special occasion from the White House Greetings Office. The card will be signed by the current president. Request must be made by fax (no email or snail mail requests are accepted). Include the full names of bride and groom, the day and year they were married and the couple's home address. The Answers.USA.gov website says that requests should be made at least two months in advance of the anniversary date in order for the card to be received on time. A nice touch would be to have the card and envelope matted and framed in a gold-toned frame.
  
  

Trips and Tours

• There are tour companies that specialize in making travel arrangements for older adults. If the golden couple are in good health and enjoy traveling, a trip or tour to a place they have always wanted to visit but never had the money to do so would be a special golden anniversary gift. If they have a shared hobby, such as golf or cooking or going to the theater, plan a themed trip to an exotic location: a cooking school in France, golf tour of Ireland or a theater package trip to NYC. Cruises are also popular anniversary gifts. The Elderly Elder website has a list of the top five cruise lines that cater to older travelers.
  
  

Traditional Gifts

• Traditional gifts for a 50th wedding anniversary have a golden theme. The website Anniversary Ideas says that the flower associated with a golden wedding anniversary is violets. Have a florist deliverer a bouquet featuring fresh violets to the happy couple. Gold-plated commemorative dishes, picture frames and vases are all traditional gifts. Some other ideas from the Anniversary Ideas website are gold-trimmed wine glasses and candlesticks. You can even order real roses dipped in 24k gold from the Romance Her website.
  
  

Sentimental Gifts

• Ask family members and friends to write a letter to the couple telling them how much they mean to them. The letters can include old photos, funny stories and cherished memories. You can have the writers either mail the letters to the couple or you can collect all the letters and have them bound in the special book. Make a CD of the couple's favorite songs; include the hit songs from the year they married, songs from their wedding and any songs they may have sung to their kids when they were little. Gather old photos of family and friends and have them set to music on a DVD for the couple.