Do You Keep Your Cards?

Used to keep them all & now only keep milestone ones for my kids & the ones saved are from grandparents, great aunts...

When my sister & I were little, my Grandma had us do a project once in which we used old Christmas cards to make place mats. We arranged the cards on pre-cut stock paper & then laminated it.

I keep only certain ones. Like from the grandparents to my kids. Other than that, I don't keep them. I don't like having clutter around

One of mu businesses is Estate and Garage Sales. The Estate sales have taught me a lot about what is important to those left behind and your old cards will be tossed straight into he recycle bin.

The last home we did an estate sale at, the woman was 83 when she died. She had saved EVERY Christmas Card and EVERY Birthday card she had EVER received. I placed them all in a box for her daughter to go through and pick and choose. When the daughter opened the box and poked around, she said "toss it". This is exactly what every other client has said, but I still gather them for just in case.

If you enjoy your cards great keep them in a box, but do know they are more than likely not going to mean anything to any one else in the future.

Right now I have about 16 Birthday Cards hanging from my blinds. At the end of the month, I will throw them in the recycle bin,

Nope, I read them and toss them, but I'm not especially sentimental.

Oh Molly....

I went through and purged a lot over the last year....

there are some that I have kept and put in a scrap book - but overall - no...

the picture ones - if I really like the picture? I scan it in.

I keep all cards and letters too. People take time to write nice things in them for us, and I would feel bad by just throwing it in the trash.

I still have every card given to me by my husband, and every letter he wrote me when he was deployed. They are too special to me to just get rid of.

I have a special box I keep these things in, and it keeps it organized. You can find nice wooden ones, that you can decorate, or paint. You can make it a little project for the family, and have everyone put their touch on it, and keep it in your living room on a shelf or something so that you can see it.

No, I may keep some from my daughter but everything else gets trashed.

When daughter was born, in 1994, I did make a scrapbook with all the cards she was given.

Other than the scrapbook in her chest and a few cards from her, that is all I have saved.

I kept cards for awhile. Then I decided just to keep cards that had significant letters/notes inside them. Most Christmas cards I keep the fronts and take them into school where our elementary students use them to make invitations for our holiday tea.

As the years have gone on and my house gets more and more cluttered I try to keep less and less. Perhaps when I retire when I'm 80 I'll have time (and desire) to organize such things.

I don't keep ANY and everyone that knows me knows to not even bother giving me a card, I hardly read it, let alone keep it. I think they are a huge waste of money. I guess I have kept cards the kids have made but thats sort of a given. I just hate the store bought ones.

I have only kept a few cards, but I usually just throw them away. I do keep Christmas cards, however, and cut out the pictures on them and use them for gift tags.

I do - but it's from big life events. Years ago, my parents gave me the cards my grandfather wrote to my grandmother and my dad when he a baby while he was overseas in WWII. They are so special to me! Also, my parents gave me all the cards they received when I was born. I still look at those and have them in a "safe place" with cards from my milestone birthdays, graduations, engagement, wedding, etc... I have save cards for my kids from their births and first birthdays, and I get made fun of by my sister. She thinks I'm hoarding. I look at it as something special my kids can look back at and enjoy when they grow up, just like I do. Even to still have special cards from my grandparents, who are no longer with me, mean so much! Keep saving your cards Molly! :)

I keep all my cards too. I'm starting to think I might toss the ones that only have a signature on it if they're not from super close friends or family. With the picture cards we get for Christmas, I scan them in and include them in our family album. So I can probably throw those ones away too.

Yes, I keep all the cards I receive, especially from my children. They always write down what they feel, and make me cry....

Also I cherish the cards that I received from those that are no longer with us. I like to look at their signatures, and remember them fondly...

I used to do it, as I learned the behavior from my parents. When the show "Hoarders" began, I finally recognized the hoarder tendencies of my parents and vowed I would never become like that. I have since thrown out all of the old cards (even though it kinda broke my historian heart). For the Christmas cards, I will keep the ones that are family pictures, but everything else has been cut up to be used as gift tags for next Christmas, or for my kids to make Christmas cards of their own to send.

There are a few cards with handwritten messages that I have held on to, as the sender said something especially poignant or sweet and I would like to remember it. Unless the card is super special, it now gets enjoyed for a few weeks, and then put into the recycling.

I understand your feelings entirely. But I've had to learn how to dispose of all but the very best ones. I keep cards that are photographs, the most beautiful ones, some real antiques, and a few others. I've simply *had* to de-clutter, and I know that the *memories* of these people and their kindness are things I will never get rid of, even if the item itself has to go.

However... don't ask me how long it takes for me to do it!

OH MAN I USED TO! Christmas cards I keep, because I hang them as decoration every year. The only birthday/thank you/whatever cards I save that are to me, are from the people that mean the most to me. The kids cards I chuck, unless they were really important. I recycle the one's I'm going to toss by cutting the pictures from the front into octagons, then folding the edges a certain way, then pasting them together to make these neat little balls, which we hang from the ceiling, like paper lanterns that don't glow ;)

This question made me laugh out loud. I have always been made fun of for keeping my cards. I have kept most of my cards from when I was little to now. I have kept my birth cards that were in my baby book( the actual book is with my mom) , baptism, special birthdays, and any special event or situation. I have started this with my own son, and have kept his birthday cards from his grandparents and great-grandparents( he has one from my side, and one from his father's side). To me, having notes or cards from my grandparents, and parents has always been so special. When my great -grandfather died, I was able to go to my card collection, and pull out the many cards he had given me over the years. Same with my grandparents. My mother's mom is still alive, and she always sends my son a little note with his birthday card. I know that I will always keep these. They are simply treasures.

I do! It makes my DH crazy. :) I'm a sentimental pack rat.

I keep my kids cards and cards that are given to me that are special. I don't keep all the Christmas cards but I do keep the picture ones just for the picture. I have not organized mine yet but try to keep them together. I'd love ideas for what to do with them :)

L.

Hello, when I receive a card I like to display it for a week or so, but then I toss it out. I do save the cards my husband and son give me or I've given them. I have them in a plastice container. I'd like my son to have these when he's older and can look back through them. It's nice to read them and have fond memories. I have saved some special ones from my mom, a brother and my sister, but others I've thrown. Keeping them in one conatiner helps. My sentimental story; my mom passed a couple of years ago (hard to say still) and I ran across cards she sent me over the years because I'v lived away. When I read those cards it was bittersweet; they all said "I love you and come home". To me, that's a piece of her that I still have and can cherish. It made me smile with tears, but so glad I had them.
Buy a plastic container and throw them in there. As far as Christmas pics, my intent is to place them in a photo box or album.

Wow, you sound like me! I have 4 children (1 in late 20's and 3 in their 30's) so you can imagine HOW MUCH I have collected over the years with school projects, pictures, cards etc... Nothing is organized, and i even stopped putting pictures in albums. The ones i managed to put in albums are all falling apart. Not only their "stuff" do I need to organize, I also "inherited" many papers, info on my grandparents, passports, etc.. I unfortunately had 2 sisters and one brother pass away from devastating illnesses and have many sympathy cards AND the sympathy cards my mother recieved and honestly, those make me sad and i just don't have the heart to keep them OR throw them out. My mother sadly passed away 2 years ago and I have the sympathy cards from friends AND inherited all the cards SHE got through the hears from her children and their were 7 of us! I imagine i should feel blessed to have had such a big family, but things are getting out of hand. None of the other siblings want any cards, the memories of her passing is still too difficult..My only salvation is not hanging on to christmas cards, thank goodness!