When should you take down greetings cards?

MawtheMerrier

Whenever you da** well please!
Your cards, your house!

Oh yes, this is so true.
If a few days is enough, or a few weeks or a month or so, it is entirely up to you.
There are no rules, thankfully.

I do not send Christmas cards and any we get are left in a pile not displayed. Birthday cards a week .

I generally have birthday cards up 5/7 days before I take mine down,

About 2 week.

I keep the special ones and cut the rest up for note paper ( or card paper )

I don’t think there’s any ‘should’ about it. To each their own. I take mine down about 3 days after my birthday just because it’s no longer my birthday ...

Probably about a week on the mantelpiece. Nobody else has mentioned one of these yet.

I recently went through all my Christmas cards (I had hoarded at least 10 year's worth, in a pile with rubber bands round each pack)

I tore them all along the fold and kept the fronts, which were mainly plain white on the back to write shopping lists and notes on. Nicer than scraps of paper!

Also useful as bookmarks or even coasters.

Where people had written notes in them, I put the other half in a folder to keep, especially as they reminded me of how friends' children had developed or other important events in their lives.

It was lovely to have good wishes in there from people who are no longer with us.

As for how long birthday cards should be displayed - not really applicable here in Germany as people don't send them.

Birthday cards usually a week. Christmas cards until I clear the decorations which could be at any point from Boxing Day. ‘Special’ cards have always been kept in a box, well boxes now and yes, I do look at them.

Mine are up for 2 weeks. Christmas cards are up from the day I receive them to the 2nd January.

Just a day or so...I don't get many so is rather depressing.

Until I dust, which could be ……

One week to the day.no more. Christmas? Day after boxing day, along with all the decs!

Yep got one of them!

Grannyboots1

I take mine down the next day, but keep them in a drawer till the next year!

My friend keeps them for a year, then throws them out, unless the sender has died!

About a week then I keep my special cards (ones from the family) in my memory box. It’s interesting seeing how cars designs change over the years.

My birthday, our anniversary and Father's day are all within a few days of each other so we have a lot of cards at that time. We usually keep them up for a couple of weeks. Christmas cards are taken down on Twelfth Night, I keep the family ones and cut up the others to make gift tags.

Fewer people send cards in this digital age. What's app, Facebook and email greeting will do me. I'm not one for cluttering up the mantlepiece. Same sentiment, less consumerism - as cards are SO expensive anyway. I do make my own to send to family and friends when necessary. They do the same. Those are worth keeping but shop ones end up in a bin.

Husband’s birthday is the end of June. His cards stay up three weeks until the offspring’s birthday. Those stay up until my birthday in October and then they make way for Christmas cards.
Basically for six straight months there are cards on display. But they are stuck to a door so not in the way.

I keep mine up for about a month. They are mainly from English friends, who have spent their time and money to send them. I keep the special ones in a box, I still have the ones sent on the birth of my daughters from 50 years ago.
I don't like digital ones.

We usually keep cards up about a week, but for special times, such as the sympathy cards I received when my dad and later my mum died, or congratulations cards when our grandchildren arrived, they stay up a few weeks. I’ve only just taken down the cards I received on my mother’s death in August. I didn’t want to take them down but my husband felt they’d been up long enough. I felt I’m still in mourning and they were a comfort to me, but I took them down as he wished. I’ve kept them.

Usually at least a week, for me, but I can happily leave them up until the next celebration.

10 days usually, then I keep the ones from grandchildren. A few months ago whilst clearing my mothers things. I found a 1st Birthday Card to my Sister who is now 72.

There is no 'should' about it though- do what you feel like doing.

As I have oak beams I string my Christmas cards from them so they are not in the way, take down 12th night. B'day cards about a week. Once upon a time WH Smith had a collection point for used cards and I would take them there, however that is not available anymore.
I also have a question about cards, those received on (in my case) husband and father's deaths. After 20 years they are still in a drawer and U still feel guilty if I consider chucking them out - no-one else wants them!?

I know what you mean Tana, but it feels like you’re throwing them out if you dispose of the cards doesn’t it? To be honest, it’s hard to dispose of anything, it makes me feel as if I’m throwing her out whatever we get rid off.