How to Recycle Old Greeting Cards

After every Christmas passes, I find myself with a stack of cards that we received from friends, family members, co-workers, etc. that really have no use once the holidays are over. They made a pretty display on the mantle, but what now? I typically find myself asking the same question regarding old birthday cards, anniversary well-wishes, etc. But, this year, instead of throwing them away like normal, these are some creative uses for your un-wanted cards.

Donate Them - I recently stumbled across this program for St. Jude's (www.stjudesranch.org/help_card.php). This is a great resource to donate your cards to and is a simple way to contribute to their cause even without making a monetary donation. They accept cards for any occasion - birthdays, Easter, Christmas, thank you, etc. Once they receive the cards at St. Jude's Ranch, the front of the cards are removed from the back (so make sure your cards are not written on the backside of the cover, but they can be written on where the main greeting typically is located on the inside left panel.) The children are then given the front of the cards to make new cards from; then, they are sold in boxes of 10, and the proceeds benefit St. Jude's. So, gather up any old cards that you were unsure what to do with, but felt too guilty just throwing them away and send them in. If you have left over holiday cards from years ago that you never used either, you can send those in too. The cards can be used or brand new; check out the above link for information on how to donate your old cards, or for ways to purchase cards if you want to contribute in that way, too.

Recycle Un-Used Cards - If you have left over cards that you did not send out this year, save them for next year. We do this every year, but you have to be careful to keep a list of who you sent what card to so that you don't end up sending your card recipients the same exact card the very next year. Every Christmas, I sit down and make a list (in Excel or Word) of people (their addresses included) we are sending cards to that year, and then denote next to each name which card we sent for that year. This is a great way not to waste un-used cards, and also a very simple way to keep up with everyone's addresses on your list. Just make sure that you do not buy cards with the year on them as you do not want to send a card next year with this year's date. You can do this for birthdays and any other special occasion if you buy cards in a bulk box, too. Most of the time, buying the same card in bulk is a lot less expensive than buying a single card every time someone's birthday or holiday rolls around. Plus, you will always have cards on hand for those just in case moments when you forget a cousin or long-lost-friend's birthday!

Art Projects - Cut the back panel off of the cards so that all you have left is the front picture/greeting. You then need to buy a piece of sturdy poster board (the size is up to you); simply glue the cards (picture facing up, of course) to the poster board to make a holiday collage to display next year. This is a great project for children; most children love making craft projects to display, especially if they're Christmas related. So once this year's Christmas is over, what better way to keep the magic going a little while longer than to spend some time with your child making a decoration for next year? Again, this is something you can do with cards for any occasion; do you have a drawer or box full of cards from when your child was growing up? You can make a piece of wall-art and buy a simple frame to display it in their room. It's a easy way to make a great, long-lasting memory instead of letting the cards yellow in an old drawer and probably never to be seen again.

Memory Box - This is the best idea for those of you that want to keep your holiday cards in one piece, but don't want to leave them stuffed in a dark corner somewhere. Find any type of decorate box to match your home décor; then, go to your local office supply store and buy some sort of dividers to make different sections in the box. I've used a box long and wide enough to fit a drop file for this card project. Then, simply label the files in whatever form you like. You can make a file label for Christmas, birthdays, anniversaries, etc. Or, you can label them according to the year (2007, 2008, 2009, etc.) Whenever you receive a card, simply drop it in the appropriate file. This may not seem like a big deal now, but years down the road, it can be fun to sit down with family members, grandchildren, etc. and see what the trends were for back then by looking at the pictures on the cards!

Just be creative with old greeting cards! It is such a waste to simply throw them in the trash; someone put time, effort, and money in to getting you that card, so why not put a little bit of effort in to turning that card in to a long-lasting memory?