It's the oldest cliche in the book. One partner completely forgets a landmark date that the other partner has been thinking about for days. It's the Forgotten Anniversary story, and everybody's got one, on whichever sorry side of the equation they happen to fall. But it needn't be a recurring oversight. Modern technology has made shopping for anniversary gifts easier than ever. Now, if you can tap a few keys and punch in the numbers of your credit card, you can be a hero or heroine on every special occasion of the year.

Anniversary gift buying online is limited only by your imagination. You can shop online at a range of sites. If you're going the traditional route, take a sniff of 24Hour Flower Power. Tell your angel or pookie bear they are worth every penny with a gift from Holt Renfrew. Your loved one will know you love them just the way they are with chocolates from Orderline. If you can't commit to a particular present, give the gift of choice from Gift Certificates Canada.

If it's the all-important first anniversary you're recognizing, you can pick up a Waterford clock (for less than you think) at William Ashley. For a third anniversary, you can buy the traditional gift of leather at Roots. Or if you're celebrating your 10th, Tin Ceilings will help you buy your sweetheart a handcrafted tin knick-knack or a full tin ceiling. For any of the landmark years, or just for the joy of giving (to say nothing of receiving!) a good piece of jewelry, try Ben Moss Jewellers.

Think before you buy

When you sit down to ponder a gift for your special someone, consider a range of variables. What does the recipient really need? More important, what do they really want? How appropriate would it be for you to give her a vacuum cleaner if her heart is set on a day at the spa? Does your guy really want another tie? Or does he want the latest electronic gadget? Consider, too, the anniversary year in question.

The anniversary year gift list

Fortunately for you, certain gifts have become traditional for each anniversary year. The traditional list was ultimately modernized, and now you can get ideas from either list.

Traditional ideas

The traditional wedding gift list suggests you mark your first anniversary with paper. This doesn't mean you can get just a card and forget about it. Paper includes writing paper, books, fine art or photography prints and even tickets to the theatre. And the list goes on: cotton for the second, leather for the third, fruit or flowers for the fourth and wood for the fifth.

From there, milestone anniversaries call for tin or aluminum for the tenth, crystal for the fifteenth, china for the twentieth, silver for the twenty-fifth, pearl for the thirtieth, coral for the thirty-fifth, ruby for the fortieth, sapphire for the forty-fifth, gold for the fiftieth, emerald for the fifty-fifth and diamond for the sixtieth.

In fact, there are only 8 "true" traditional anniversary gifts: paper, wood, tin, crystal, china, silver, gold and diamond. The rest have emerged more from consensus than anything else.

Modern gifts

If these seem a bit obscure, the list of modern wedding gifts is more practical. First anniversaries call for clocks, second for china, third for crystal or glass, fourth for appliances, fifth for silverware, 10th for jewelry, 15th for watches, 20th for platinum, 25th for silver, 30th for diamonds and 35th for jade. From there, the modern list duplicates the traditional one.

Be flexible

None of these suggestions is written in stone. They're meant only to steer you when your own imagination is flagging. Exceptions are more than appropriate; what really counts is the thought behind the gift. After all, if you really need furniture come your second anniversary, then why wait until your 17th as suggested on the contemporary list?

You are not alone

And if you're still casting about for the perfect gift, enlist the services of a personal shopper like Susan Delamont, who services clients in the Toronto area. "I just need to have a conversation with the purchaser to find out about him, his tastes and his wife and her tastes. Then I'm off and running. Sometimes it's easier for an outsider to fasten upon the perfect gift than it is for someone intimately involved in the relationship." If you'd rather go it solo, Delamont suggests keeping your ears open for the inevitable hints and enlisting the advice of friends, family members and anybody who knows the recipient well enough to know what they want.

Make sure whatever gift you choose to mark an anniversary is as well made as it is thoughtful. Because these are likely keepsakes that you'll treasure for years to come, it's important they be of good quality.

Software that saves

Of course, if the prospect of remembering yet another date is simply overwhelming for you, visit Rockin Software. WinDates is a highly rated date organizer that reminds you of holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, appointments or any event. It also automatically calculates 40 holidays such as Easter, which can be hard to remember because they fall on a different date each year.

Quirks

If you can't say "I love you" enough to your special someone, drop in on www.eat.com/romance/languages.html and learn to say it in 14 languages. Here, a RealAudio file will teach you how to say those 3 magic words in everything from Arabic to sign language. You can even learn how to whisper such romantic phrases as "I made a nice pasta dinner for you. Isn't this sauce delicious?"