Why Do People Keep Greeting Cards?
People keep greeting cards for a few reasons; mostly because they are a tangible, physical connection to the person who sent the card. Greeting cards act as a reminder of the big life events; they tell our story and represent our biggest achievements. They are filled with messages of celebration, declarations of love, heartfelt handwritten notes and meaningful words. They are a physical reminder of people who are no longer with us, and people who have drifted or moved out of our lives, as well as those who have been by our sides through thick and thin.
Plus, they are really easy to store because they are flat.
We'll cover how to store greeting cards in a bit, so keep on reading, my friend...
How Long Should You Keep Greeting Cards For?
There is so much debate on how long you should hold onto greeting cards for and what you should do with them. Here are your options:
1- Keep Cards for 1-4 Weeks After the Event
Cards can legitimately stay on display for up to a month after the event without it being weird. Any time after that and you risk being accused of being too lazy to take them down.
As an ADHDer, I can confirm that I still have, on a bookshelf in my living room, a Christmas card from my dad, from 2024. It's April 2026 now. The shame is real. But will I put it away when I get home this evening? Probably not. That's a blog article for another time, though.
For minimal clutter and maximum happiness, leave cards on display for the event and up to one month after, then recycle anything you don't want to keep. Be careful to check for plastic and glitter on cards- they cannot be recycled. (Our laser cut cards CAN be recycled, if you're interested)
2- Keep Cards for Years
Research from Funky Pigeon shows that 39% of Brits keep every greeting card they receive. Every single card!
Of course, you don't need to keep them on display for years- that would be bonkers! Your home would slowly start to fill up with greeting cards and you'd never be able to put anything on a shelf ever again. So the trick is to find somewhere to store them so that you can go back over them and take an emotional, nostalgic trip down memory lane when you want to feel the feels, but making sure that they are tucked away neatly so you don't literally take a trip (over a card and straight to the local X-Ray dept).
If you're a card-keeper and you'd like to know what to do with them, read on to find our top tips for storing greeting cards.
Sneaky Option 3- A Bit of Both
This is what I do. I keep cards on display for up to 4 weeks (apart from that one Christmas card that I previously mentioned, but, shh!)
Then, at the 4-week-mark, I will recycle the cards that I don't want to keep, and store away the sentimental ones, the unbelievably beautiful ones and the ones from my favourite people.
Ways to Store Old Greeting Cards
These are our favourite things to do with old greeting cards.
1- Memory Box
This one is the obvious choice. Get yourself a pretty box (or a shoe box, your choice) and put the things in it that mean the most to you. We're talking greeting cards, old tickets, photos, random handwritten notes and anything else important. I think most of us probably have a box like this tucked away under the bed or in the wardrobe.
If you're the super organised type, you could arrange your memory box by year or by person, like a library catalogue of memories.
2- Memory Book
Create a memory book using a photo album or scrapbook, and treat it like your memory box (see above) but in book form. This is great because you can write notes, doodle, add pages and really make it something beautiful. Books are also great because they store nicely on shelves.
3- Store Cards Digitally
If you want to preserve the memories but don't have the space to keep loads of cards, you could always scan or photograph them and store them digitally on a pen drive or online storage facility like Dropbox.
4- Frame Them
You know that unbelievably beautiful personalised card you received for your wedding day, the one you said was too pretty to throw away?! That's the one to pop in a frame and hang it on your wall. In fact, many of our customers say their recipients framed their card because they loved it so much.
You could also frame several cards in a collage in a bigger frame. This works well for big events you want to remember forever. I love this idea for a new baby or engagement celebration.
5- Rotate Card Displays Seasonally
You are totally allowed to get old cards out and pop them on display years after they were given! If you have your favourite cards from particular events, why not save them and display them next year as well? You could string them up and hang them from your mantelpiece or have a shelf you dedicate to displaying your favourite cards. Basically, it's your home- you get to make the rules!
6- Create a Mood-Board Pin Board
Get yourself a dedicated pin board that you can treat like your own personal in-home mood board (like Pinterest boards, but IRL). Add photos, notes, drawings - anything goes!
Final Thoughts
We keep greeting cards because we are human, and humans are sentimental, emotional and thoughtful. We like tiny trinkets, token keepsakes and tangible connections to our favourite people.
That means, the next time you send someone a greeting card, you should consider this when choosing your card and writing the message inside. If you're giving the card to one of your favourite people, the chances are they'll want to hold onto it, so make it a good one.
Go for a personalised, special card that is worthy of their memory box (we have lots of special greeting cards here, check them out), and fill it with a thoughtful, personal hand written message that will make them get in their feels.
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