How Long to Keep Greeting Cards

Greeting cards can have sentimental value – and they can be considered clutter. Are there guidelines on how long to keep greeting cards? Advice columnist Eric Thomas weighs in, and a reader offers a practical but sentimental suggestion.

Dear Eric:

How long do you keep greeting cards like birthday, congratulations, holidays, thank you, and so on? I understand keeping those with sentimental value, but I tend to keep all of them. My sister suggested tossing them now since we’re all bound to pass away someday, and it would be more work for her to deal with them later. What’s holding me back is the emotional attachment I have to them, even though some are just simple cards with less than two sentences. I’m unsure what to do. I feel guilty for tossing them, but I also need to declutter. Could you please help? What is the general rule for keeping received cards?

– Greeting Cards

Dear Greeting:

There’s no wrong way to do this. Some people read the cards, appreciate the messages and throw them away. Others display the cards they receive for a week or two and then toss them. Others hold on to them forever. Personally, when it comes to holiday cards, I like to put them on the fridge and leave them up all year until they’re replaced by next year’s cards. (This is also a great way for me to discover I’ve fallen off of someone’s greeting card list.)

For many, it comes down to space constraints. So, if you find you’re holding on to cards that don’t have sentimental value and you want to declutter, perhaps set aside an afternoon to look at them again, receive the warm wishes again, and then throw them away, knowing they’ve done the job they set out to do. There’s no need to throw away cards that mean something to you, however. And, if they’re really creating a space issue, you can always take photos of them and throw away the originals, so you’ve got a digital copy forever.

A reader’s heartfelt way to keep old greeting cards

Dear Eric:

I am writing after reading the letter about how to handle beautiful greeting cards you don’t want to just throw away (“Greeting Cards”). I’d love to suggest an option that, for me, is heartwarming. When I feel the love expressed, I turn the card over and on the back write a little note. Example: “Dear ___, you sent me this card on my 80th birthday and it touched my heart. Thank you. (personal note follows). Love Forever.” Then I place the card in a folder to be distributed to the sender when I pass away. I have an individual folder for each family member. It’s my hope that they’ll feel the love returned even after I am gone.

– Feeling the Love

Dear Love:

Oh wow! The foresight and creativity of this solution took my breath away. I simply adore this! You’ve created a sort of ouroboros of love, looping back on itself forever.

Others suggested that children’s hospitals, senior centers and schools may have donation programs set up for repurposing old cards. And – important! – I used the term “throw out” in my original answer. Let me clarify: if you’re throwing the cards out, throw them in the recycling bin.

R. Eric Thomas (he/him) is a national bestselling author, playwright, and screenwriter. His accomplishments include “Eric Reads the News,” a daily humor column covering pop culture and politics, serving as the interim Prudie for the advice column “Dear Prudence,” and “Congratulations, The Best Is Over.”

Send questions to eric@askingeric.com or P.O. Box 22474, Philadelphia, PA 19110. Follow him on Instagram and sign up for his weekly newsletter at rericthomas.com.

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Find more words of wisdom like how long to keep greeting cards – from insensitive parents to a husband’s mid-life crisis, DNA surprises, and more – in the Boomer Advice for Life department.

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