Greeting Cards How Long To Keep

Dear Dr. Dave and Dr. Dee,

How long do you keep greeting cards? Our three children receive many cards on birthdays and special occasions. Should the cards be kept, or is it okay to throw them out?

Signed,

Piled in paper

Dear Piled in paper,

Whether to keep or recycle greeting cards is a very personal matter. If the greeting card is hand-made, then it may be very sentimental to the receiver who may wish to keep it for many years. Some greeting cards, such as Christmas or holiday cards, are often kept until the next holiday season.

Particularly beautiful cards can be framed, kept in a scrapbook, made into a collage or donated to organizations that use the card fronts to make new cards. Or, you can make your own new card from used cards by attaching the card front to a new folded sturdy paper or cardstock.

Contact your local library and senior center to see if they would like to receive used greeting cards or know of any organizations who would.