It’s funny how we all think we know our fathers well - until the time comes when we have to buy Father’s Day gifts for them. All of a sudden our minds draw blanks.

Anyone celebrating their 40th anniversary around now would have been tying the knot during the late 1960s, a heady and evocative time in popular culture. For the gift buyer, this throws up some magnificent ruby anniversary gift ideas, maybe even giving you the opportunity to remind the couple of the original meaning of swinging after 40 years of devotion.

Twenty-five years of marriage is when it can start to get serious – especially for anyone looking to buy an anniversary present. It is, after all, the first appearance of a precious metal in the roll call of traditional gifts.

There’s an idea about Father’s Day that still gets an airing every so often but really needs to be stamped out once and for all. What is this dated, negative notion?