Help - what to do with old greetings cards?

Poundsaverpam

Hi, I couldn't find a heading suitable to post this so I hope its alright here.

We are having a big sort out in order to down-size house as all the kids left home a while ago now. We have four children and I have saved birthday/mother's day/father's day/Christmas/ cards for years (the eldest is 41 and the youngest 25) from all of the kids and cards from Hubby and me to each other.

I really don't know what to do with these cards, whether to keep them for sentimental reasons, or keep a few (but which few)?

What do other people do, I have boxes of them.

vasseur

Slightly different but I make gift tags out of the previous year's xmas cards.

Depends how much you want to keep them really but you could make a binder of each person's cards? Or just keep the milestone ones like 1st,18th,21st etc.

Mine are all up in the loft for the very reason that i don't know what to do with them either but can't bear to chuck them out!

WestonDave

Scan them? That way you can keep an image of them on say a USB stick without having to keep a pile of cardboard. That said I'd probably only keep a selection of more meaningful ones - e.g. the last card Gran sent before she died, 21st cards etc.

Chunks

I tend to keep stuff that has 'meaning' to me and mine and discard anything else. Got into family history a few years back so what I tend to keep I do so with an eye to future generations so to say. For example, I was replacing an old shed last year and found a wooden shelving support that my youngest son had written his name on (he'd be about five at the time, he's 26 now). I kept it (or rather the part that he'd written on)!

I would view this as either a continuing archive of personal objects (and find somewhere to preserve them all - and add to) or keep some of the more important ones and recycle the rest. I think only you will know what is important....

Poundsaverpam

Thank you to everyone for your suggestions, Polesalot, I do make Christmas tags out of everyone else's cards (or re-cycle them), it's a good idea to keep the 'special' ie 18th/21st cards (though I suspect they already have these cards themselves). I will keep the birth cards and 1st birthdays that's for sure, and also the handmade one's that the kids made themselves but I still have a mountain of my own and hubby's birthday/Father's/Mother's/Christmas/Valentine cards from the kids & each other, far too many to scan (thanks WestonDave). I guess only I can decide which one's to keep - but again, many thanks for your replies.

Eenymeeny

Sorry to be harsh, and I admit to having a drawerful of old cards myself:o but I've just cleared out boxes of scrapbooks full of cards that my mother saved for years thinking that she was building up a collection of memories for us. After her demise I offered them to all of the family and no one wanted them. We all had a look through, enjoyed the memories then I had a sad kind of bonfire! I realised that postcards etc all had addresses and personal notes that these days people might object to having circulated. The (grown-up)grandchildren weren't interested at all and I realised that they would take up space in my home then be thrown out eventually, so better to give them a decent burial now and enjoy the space that I created! (I still saved a few 'special' ones:o:))

Suzy_M

Keep the significant milestones and then the last one received on a rolling basis.