Birthday Cards

I am (fairly) sure that AlwaysSmilings’ post was intended as a tongue-in-cheek, light hearted jibe in response to bossy offspring😉

AlwaysSmiling

I told our sons when they complained of all the things I have in drawers and cupboards that when I die, they will get my home and they can pay for house clearance out of the money they inherit and if they don't stop moaning about it I will sell my home and move into a luxury hotel and spend my years there.

I find that very unkind. Having had to deal with my parents’ belongings as an only child, albeit with help from my husband, I make sure that I have the bare minimum for my husband or son to deal with. People have items of sentimental value only to them which they never look at. Why? I’m so glad my parents left little that was of sentimental value only to them.

I keep them if I think I can recycle them to make new cards
Special cards from my husband or children I keep for a while, and the ones from my dad who passed away 3 years ago.
However, I do get to the stage where I need to have a sort out and dispose of some. You can't keep everything can you?

I told our sons when they complained of all the things I have in drawers and cupboards that when I die, they will get my home and they can pay for house clearance out of the money they inherit and if they don't stop moaning about it I will sell my home and move into a luxury hotel and spend my years there.

I love receiving cards , enjoy for a week then head to the bin - unlike my DH who hangs onto them , drives me mad ! But in the grand scheme of things I know it's no big deal!

I have a lot of them because when friends went on holiday they always sent postcards, many of them were very rude and I still have a few of them in photo albums.

I always keep the ones from my family, sons, daughters in law and grandchildren. I have Birthday, Valentine and Christmas cards to and from my then boyfriend in the 60's (who became my husband). They are precious to me and many is the time I get them all out and read through them and they brings tears to my eyes as they were the start of a nearly 60 year old relationship. I kept all our grandchildrens drawings they made for me. I am sentimental and have all the decorations from our wedding cake, place settings and invitations and telegrams, even the glass tumbler I was given at school when Queen Elizabeth the 2nd was crowned. God help our family when they start to look through the big ottoman memory box, I know they will find it very interesting as I wrote a diary about our lives in the 40's onwards and how I met their dad etc. etc.

I wish my mum and dad had done the same, I would have loved to have been able to read all their cards they sent each other and seen their wedding invitations etc. they are a part of our history.

I keep a few of the extra special cutest ones my children and grandchildren give me. The ones my elderly father sends I keep for 12 months then replace it when my next birthday comes around. My husband and I each have a funny one for each other that we keep and give every year (😂) but the rest get recycled after a week of being on display.

Who is going to have the task of dealing with them? Get rid! Think of others!

Oh my goodness! How brave! I still have mine from more than 50 years ago!!

Thanks to all, so many suggestions. I've not quite made my mind up what to do with all my received cards (only family ones I have to add). I do look through them from time to time and they def bring back so many memories esp from my daughter and now grandchildren. Think I may just keep them for a little while longer. Each to their own as my DM used to say.

I used to, now they go. Less items for my children to dispose of.

My Mum used to make a children's party game by cutting christmas cards in half diagonally then mixing them all up. The children had to match the halves and the one who collected most pairs won a prize. This reminded me of that and I probably should try it on my grandchildren. I never did that one with my own children.

I also make gift tags and new cards from old ones, but I tend to leave cards up until the next event bringing cards. This last year I went away for 3 weeks at Christmas so didn't put any cards up, so my birthday cards are still on the mantelpiece from last year!

Granmarderby10

I would love a postcard.

From a particular person, or just a postcard from anyone?

How about photographing or scanning them ? Then they'll take no physical space, but always be available for a happy trip down memory lane

Do keep some of the special birthday ones, normally up for a week and then in the recycling bin, always seems a shame to chuck out.

last year i decided to throw away all the cards my husband had given me, he died 20 years ago, i still have the cards my son has given me over the years and he is now 37, i know it is sad but it is just who i am.

I would love a postcard.

Ahhhh.
How poignant.

I have kept the last birthday card from DH. He could barely write, and a message was beyond him, but it is very precious. That Parkinson’s reduced such a clever and literate man to scrawling parts of words still feels tragic but that he tried so hard matters enormously.

I kept postcards too but no-one sends them these days. I put them in a photo album, it’s fun to re-read them.

I’ve kept all my cards from my husband & children & will keep the Grandchildren’s too. That includes: all birthday, Christmas, Anniversary, Valentines & Mothers Day cards. Just had my 70th & had a party so got a lot more cards than usual - so am keeping those too, and we have all my husband’s from the rest of us as well.
Downsizing soon but hopefully we’ll find space for the box of cards.

I'm currently enjoying my 70th birthday cards which have been up for a week.

I actually had my birthday in January while on a trip to visit family in NZ for 6 weeks, so only opened all my cards when i got home.

They are too special to have up for a short time but i will eventually bin them.... just not yet. I do take a photo of them all with the bouquets I got too.

I've binned other special cards when in a clearing out mood. As others have said, our children will have less to clear our when the time comes.

I used to keep special birthday cards, christening, communion and confirmation cards for my four kids recently was having a clear out and asked the kids if they wanted to keep and they all looked at me as if I was as made as a hatter so out in the recycling they went

I keep special (home made) ones from special people.