Over great wine and apps with friends the other night, one girlfriend told me she discards holiday cards they receive as soon as she reads them. I was surprised. She also shared that she received a card that read "Dear Heather. You are such an amazing person and I have so much admiration for you." Except her name is not Heather. "Did you want me to keep that one?" she asked.
She is the opposite of people we know that have every card they have ever received for the past ten years.
Whether you are clutter-free or a total hoarder, here is a great option for your holiday cards this year.
From now through February 28, 2010, you can donate all of the holiday cards you receive to St. Jude’s Ranch for Children. This is an organization for neglected, abandoned and abused children. The children earn money by removing the front of donated cards to make new cards sold in packets of ten.
Visit the site for details on donating. Could be a great idea for purchasing your cards for next year too. And you will have none of the risks that reGifting includes.
That's a GREAT idea!!!!
ReplyDeleteGreat idea, Jenny. Meaningful recycling, helping children in need.
ReplyDeleteOh that is nice.
ReplyDeleteI use to save mine
Gloated and displayed them even
Sadly I never took the time to erm...return any and have dwindled down to getting very few
LOL
oh well good thing i kept them
Sounds like a plan to me, especially if I were nice enough to people for them to want to send me cards.
ReplyDeleteI suppose it was that year I sent them all back unopened as "addressee unknown"
Great idea. But getting a card which gets your name wrong is simply sublime. I'm almost tempting to send a few "Dear Heather" cards just for a laugh.
ReplyDeleteThat is a fabulous idea! I usually keep the cards until after Christmas and then they get recycled. They are nice to find in the mail, but after that I need to get rid of them. I already have too much clutter in my house!
ReplyDeleteI am a non clutter freak...but I have hoarded all my cards forever.
ReplyDeleteI just went through all of them recently and sent a huge pile to St. Judes.
I love to display my cards each season (from that season) and then put them away after Christmas.
I would love to meet Heather..now SHE sounds like a great person. ;)
I'm doing this!
ReplyDeleteI love that! I think I'll do that!
ReplyDeleteThat is a great idea. I plan to tell others about this idea.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tip. It sounds like a worthy cause. I might re-post this myself for more people to see.
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas.
That is a great idea! Not only are cards being recycled, but a great thing is being done for children in need.
ReplyDeleteGood post!
Awesome idea!!! We keep our cards on display through the holiday season, but chuck them when the tree comes down. This is a much better way to go.
ReplyDeleteAwesome idea.
ReplyDeleteLove the idea. But I love my card, can't throw them away. I had to save them from a flood in 2006.. they are that special to me.
ReplyDeleteIt's better than re-gifting.
ReplyDeleteIt's Re-Loving.
That IS a great idea! I keep all the cards and stick them to the wall along the chair rail all around my dining room. They become part of the decor and stay up until all the Christmas stuff gets taken down and put away in early January. Then they go where all our other paper garbage goes ~ into a box in the basement to be used as fire-starter in our woodstove. So they continue to warm our hearts ~ and fingers and toes!
ReplyDeleteThe photo cards I usually keep for the year, either on the fridge, bulletin board, or in an envelope stashed away somewhere.
That is a really great idea! I always have environmental guilt about holiday cards . . .
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting it!
Wow. That is a really wonderful idea.
ReplyDeleteI keep some of our Christmas cards. I use them as 'decorations' first. The kids love to look at them over and over again.
Excellent idea! I will definitely send my cards there...I usually toss them after the holidays these past few years! Happy Christmas week! xxoo
ReplyDeleteWhat a GREAT idea - thanks for posting the link :)
ReplyDeleteOhh good one!!
ReplyDeleteFrom one who saves EVERYTHING, I must say this is a splendid idea! I'll send my shoebox full to them right after the holidays. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteBrilliant, but at what point is this considered child or slave labor?
ReplyDelete-Joshua
Thanks for the tip - it's a much nicer idea than simply dumping them in the trash.
ReplyDeleteThat is a great idea!! I have such a hard time throwing away cards. Each year I promise myself that I will get better. I gotta say, it's very special to have cards that I saved from my grandma and great grandma. I'm glad I kept those!
ReplyDeleteFab idea! Have a wonderful holiday Jenny Mac!
ReplyDeletexoxo
What a great idea. Of course, I don't get any holiday cards. You have to have a real life for that...
ReplyDeleteThank you MaryMac. Oops, I mean JennyMac...
ReplyDeleteheh heh
I'm totally doing this!! Thanks for the info!
ReplyDeleteBut what about the inside of the card that was written on? I'm confused.
ReplyDeleteOh, good to know - I tend to toss mine in the recycling bin right after Christmas. But I don't get nearly as many, and those I do receive are usually letters and photos ratehr than actual cards.
ReplyDeleteI am a card saver but this looks like a great thing to do with them instead.
ReplyDeleteOh how I love all Green ideas, Jenny Mac! This is a great one. Thanks so much for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThat's such a great idea. Thanks for sharing it. We keep our cards on display till end of the year, but then they go into the recycling bin.
ReplyDeleteWe didn't have room in our mailbox for cards this year, so many bills and junk mail!
ReplyDeleteGlad you found your way over to my blog. I'm loving this...consider me a follower.
ReplyDeleteWonderful concept! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas HeatherMac!
ReplyDelete:)
That is a nice idea. I keep the cards for crafts with my daughter. We never get around to using them all.
ReplyDeleteI love how the season of giving can just continue on throughout the entire year!
ReplyDeleteWhat an awesome idea! I always keep mine despite the fact that I will never read them or remember them again. All the more reason to donate them to a good cause! Thanks for the idea :)
ReplyDeleteI get rid of them immediately too, unless they're picture cards, and those stick around until December 26th. Not sure why, but they do. I love this idea and definitely plan to do it from now on. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea. My mom saves them and uses them as "to froms" the next year.
ReplyDeleteWonderful idea! It always seems so heartless just to throw them away! Thanks for the tip!
ReplyDeleteJennyMac- this is fantastic! And I will be passing it on!
ReplyDelete<><
I'm guessing your friend's friend's friend Heather received a card that didn't have the right name either! (Did you follow that? :-))
ReplyDeleteWe usually save the cards so the kids can cut the pictures out and make homemade cards the following year, but I like your idea better!
That is a great idea, especially for someone like me, who LOVES to get rid of things! :)
ReplyDeleteNow THAT is an idea....good stuff.
ReplyDeletethough I'd help them out further by tearing off the back of that rather thoughtlessly sent card to "Heather" and disposing of it appropriately.
And to be honest, I'm a bit the same as your friend; read, and dispose...unless it's a very personal
THANK YOU for sharing this. What a wonderful way to recycle cards... helping a child is worth donating cards; they serve such a greater purpose this way. :)
ReplyDeleteThat is a lovely and easy/affordable way to give back. Thank you for sharing! xoxo
ReplyDeleteSC
Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great thing! Sometimes the best ideas are really the most logical and simple!
ReplyDeleteThanks for reminding me about this program. I used to save all the cards, especially the photo ones, but now I throw them away after the holiday season.
ReplyDeleteRecyling cards especially for a good cause is my cup of tea.
ReplyDeleteI confess that I don't save our holiday cards much past the season and only to make sure I have current addresses.
I think Heather should have told you that yours was the exception and she was framing it.
abrazos!
awesome idea! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteAnd, tell your friend that she got my card. Her card read, "Hey b*tch, you still owe me $30."
Just kidding.
Fantastic idea!! I will definately do this. I usually do throw all the cards away after the holidays but now I have someplace to send them. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea...I will definitely do this next year as I have already thrown all mine away after I read them!!
ReplyDeleteFab idea!
ReplyDeleteAnother great post for ideas. Thanks. This is even a good idea for the extra Christmas cards in the boxes and drawers.
ReplyDeleteI've given cards like this in the past to the public schools art departments, but this is a better cause.
That is so neat, I am going to check that out. Thanks so much for the info. :)
ReplyDeleteThis is one of the best ideas EVER!
ReplyDeleteThis is a WONDERFUL idea! Thank you so much for sharing!!
ReplyDeletethis is SUCH a great idea! I don't throw them out right away but I do keep them for a bit and then usually just toss them. Sometimes I keep them if they have photos of kids...it's amazing to see how much they grow from one year to the next.
ReplyDeletethanks for sharing this and merry Christmas!!! :)
I came here from The Lil Bee and I can't tell you how excited I am to hear about this organization! I'll be sending my cards for sure.
ReplyDeleteThis is such a great idea. I can't even stand it : ) Will send my cards tomorrow! I was just wondering what to do with them!
ReplyDelete