Anniversary gift
A crossword only the two of you can solve.
Send us ten to fifteen memories: where you met, the song, the flat with the broken boiler, the name you call each other. We turn them into answers and write the clues, and you get a print-ready puzzle to give on the day.
Ideas by year
Working with the traditional anniversary themes
In the UK, each wedding anniversary has a traditional material. The early ones are modest (paper, cotton, leather), and the later ones turn precious. You do not have to follow the list, but it is a useful prompt, and a few years suit a printed puzzle surprisingly well.
| Year | Traditional theme | A crossword angle |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Paper (or cotton) | The puzzle is itself a paper gift. Print it on heavy card and it fits the theme without trying. |
| 5th | Wood | Pair the printed crossword with a simple wooden frame, or slip it inside a wooden box of first-five-years mementoes. |
| 10th | Tin | Ten years, so try one answer for each year: the flat, the dog, the wedding, the job that moved you across the country. |
| 25th | Silver | Twenty-five years will not fit in fifteen answers. Choose turning points, and let the children add one each. |
| 40th | Ruby | Ask the family for memories too. A grid built by several people reads like a family history. |
| 50th | Gold | Print one copy per guest for a party table, and one good copy for the couple to keep. |
Themes: the traditional (UK) list in Wikipedia's “Wedding anniversary” article. More ideas that are not jewellery: our anniversary gift guide.
What to put in it
The best answers are small and specific.
A good anniversary grid mixes big moments with tiny ones. “Wedding” is an answer anyone could guess; “Biscuit”, the name of the dog you nearly adopted, is one only your partner will get.
Places
The town where you met, the first holiday, the café you still call “ours”, the street of the first flat.
Rituals
The Friday takeaway order, the Sunday walk, who makes the tea, the programme you only watch together.
Words
Nicknames, a phrase that became a private joke, a misheard lyric, the word your child invented.
Firsts and turning points
The first gig, the proposal, a move, a difficult year you came through. Include these only if both of you would be glad to see them in print.
Stuck for memories? The anniversary memory prompts walk through four categories to collect them in.
How it works
Three steps, and only the first one is yours.
01
Order on Etsy and fill in the boxes
The listing has five personalisation boxes: the names and the occasion, then your memories, one per line, and an optional dedication. Rough notes are fine.
02
We choose the answers and write the clues
Each memory becomes an answer word and a clue only the two of you would get. Everything comes through the Etsy order; there is no second form to fill in.
03
Download the PDF from your Etsy order
Normally within 1–3 days of receiving your complete details. Page 1 is the puzzle with your dedication, page 2 the full solution, page 3 your order confirmation.
Two ways to order
We write it, or you do.
Made to order
We write the clues
- You send 10–15 memories in the Etsy personalisation boxes
- We choose the answers and write every clue
- Print-ready A4 PDF, normally within 1–3 days
- One correction pass for factual errors
Make it yourself
You write the clues, online
- Instant download on Etsy, with a printable gift card to hand over
- You type your memories into our tool at keepsakeclues.com/create
- The tool suggests clues; you edit and approve every one
- You download the same kind of A4 PDF with its solution
How the make-it-yourself tool works, step by step: help for the crossword tool.
Questions
Before you order
What exactly do I need to send?
Ten to fifteen memories, one per line: a place, a date, a nickname, a song, a pet, a running joke. Short notes are enough, for example “first holiday: Lisbon, rained all week”. You do not write clues or pick answer words; that is our part.
How long does it take?
Your finished puzzle is uploaded to your Etsy order normally within 1–3 days of receiving your complete details, and Etsy emails you when it is ready. If the anniversary is close, order with the full three days in mind: same-day delivery is not guaranteed.
Will my partner be able to solve it?
That is the point of writing the clues from your own memories: they read as easy to the two of you and cryptic to anyone else. Choose memories your partner shares: one they have never heard of makes an unfair clue.
Is the solution included?
Yes. The PDF has the puzzle with its across and down clues and your dedication line on page 1, and a full solution page on page 2. Keep the second page back until the puzzle is done. Page 3 is your order confirmation, for your records.
Can I print it more than once, or on nicer paper?
Yes. It is a PDF, so you can print it at home or at any print shop, on any paper you like, as many times as you like. Nothing is posted to you.
What if I spot a mistake in a name or date?
Every order includes one correction pass for factual errors, such as a misspelt name or a wrong date. Please check the spellings you send, because the puzzle is built from them.
Who writes the clues? Is AI involved?
Your memories are turned into clue wording with the help of an AI writing tool, and every clue is read and edited by a person before your puzzle is sent. The crossword design, grid engine, typography and layout are our own work.
Anniversary crossword