To Keep a Greeting Card or not

Just about everyone enjoys receiving a greeting card. Nearly, 9 out of 10 Americans say they look forward to receiving cards. Exchanging greeting cards is one of the most widely accepted ways of expressing how important someone is to us. As a matter of fact, in the US consumers purchase and exchange 7 billion greeting cards each year. That’s an average of 30 greeting card purchases per household.

When I receive a greeting card I feel important because I know someone is thinking of me. I usually hold on to the card for a few days and display it so I may look at it. Then I have to make the decision whether to discard or keep the card. Like many of us who have limited storage space, I have to be selective about what I keep. Unfortunately, most times I find myself throwing out the greeting card. I usually have negative feelings about having to do this. The thoughtful card sender spent time looking for the right card, and many times the card is very attractive and I hate to just throw it out. An average person receives 20 greeting cards per year and I bet many have similar feelings about discarding attractive greeting cards.

Last Christmas was an excellent year for receiving Christmas cards. It seems that the Hallmark cards and American Greeting cards get more elegant each year, and this year I had a bunch of them. At the end of the season I took them all down from the display and looked at them one more time. With an achy heart I placed them in the trash can and thought about how many landfills are lined with a thick layer of discarded cards from thoughtful family and friends. Virtually all of them were in excellent condition other than the added writing from the sender.

Well, something inside me clicked and I got to thinking. Shouldn’t someone who is important to me receive a greeting card, then be able to resend the card to someone else who is important to them? Making greeting cards reusable turns greeting card recipients into greeting card senders. The same card that gave them the feeling of importance can be passed on to the next recipient. This is especially true around a busy time like Christmas. Some of the cards I received this year would be reusable when I send them out next year. Recycling eliminates the negative feelings associated with discarding greeting cards.

If you knew the card would be reused wouldn’t you be willing to spend a little more for the best card you could find. Rather than saving money on lower end cards your greeting card recipient would be impressed by your spending a little extra money on them. They would have great admiration of you and be appreciative of being able to extend the life of their greeting card.

Now, what if your entire family or circle of friends agrees to exchange greeting cards in this reusable manor? You will have started a money saving, environmentally friendly tradition. You, your family and friends will eliminate those negative feelings associated with throwing out cards and create a common bond through participation in this new tradition. I personally know a family who passes a gag birthday gift with an attached card around to each family member as their birthday comes up. Talk about a reusable gift and card.

There are many ways that we keep in touch with our family and friends, such as e-mail, text messaging and phone calls. But the majority of people in the US say that they prefer receiving a greeting card because it makes them feel special.

Reference: The Greeting Card Organization / greeting card facts