Monday, December 21, 2009

This isn't like reGifting

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.

66 comments:

Anonymous said...

That's a GREAT idea!!!!

Rowe said...

Great idea, Jenny. Meaningful recycling, helping children in need.

mandatorybloghere said...

Oh that is nice.
I 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

the walking man said...

Sounds like a plan to me, especially if I were nice enough to people for them to want to send me cards.

I suppose it was that year I sent them all back unopened as "addressee unknown"

mo.stoneskin said...

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.

Yankee Girl said...

That 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!

Busy Bee Suz said...

I am a non clutter freak...but I have hoarded all my cards forever.
I 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. ;)

JenJen said...

I'm doing this!

MommyLovesStilettos said...

I love that! I think I'll do that!

Little Ms Blogger said...

That is a great idea. I plan to tell others about this idea.

Matty said...

Thanks for the tip. It sounds like a worthy cause. I might re-post this myself for more people to see.

Merry Christmas.

Pandorah's Box said...

That is a great idea! Not only are cards being recycled, but a great thing is being done for children in need.

Good post!

The Four Week Vegan said...

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.

Secret Mom Thoughts said...

Awesome idea.

WhiteSockGirl aka The Fabulous Bitch said...

Love 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.

Christine Macdonald said...

It's better than re-gifting.
It's Re-Loving.

tammi said...

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!

The photo cards I usually keep for the year, either on the fridge, bulletin board, or in an envelope stashed away somewhere.

Urban Earthworm said...

That is a really great idea! I always have environmental guilt about holiday cards . . .

Thanks for posting it!

erin said...

Wow. That is a really wonderful idea.

I keep some of our Christmas cards. I use them as 'decorations' first. The kids love to look at them over and over again.

Cathi said...

Excellent idea! I will definitely send my cards there...I usually toss them after the holidays these past few years! Happy Christmas week! xxoo

Tami G said...

What a GREAT idea - thanks for posting the link :)

Christina Lee said...

Ohh good one!!

Melissa B. said...

From 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!

Joshua said...

Brilliant, but at what point is this considered child or slave labor?

-Joshua

Jane Kennedy Sutton said...

Thanks for the tip - it's a much nicer idea than simply dumping them in the trash.

Anonymous said...

That 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!

Theta Mom said...

Fab idea! Have a wonderful holiday Jenny Mac!
xoxo

Lee said...

What a great idea. Of course, I don't get any holiday cards. You have to have a real life for that...

brokenteepee said...

Thank you MaryMac. Oops, I mean JennyMac...
heh heh

Erin Bassett said...

I'm totally doing this!! Thanks for the info!

Jules AF said...

But what about the inside of the card that was written on? I'm confused.

secret agent woman said...

Oh, 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.

Jen said...

I am a card saver but this looks like a great thing to do with them instead.

Unknown said...

Oh how I love all Green ideas, Jenny Mac! This is a great one. Thanks so much for sharing!

Bibi @ Bibi's Culinary Journey said...

That'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.

Anonymous said...

We didn't have room in our mailbox for cards this year, so many bills and junk mail!

GunDiva said...

Glad you found your way over to my blog. I'm loving this...consider me a follower.

Confessions of a Mother, Lawyer & Crazy Woman said...

Wonderful concept! Thanks for sharing!

Intense Guy said...

Merry Christmas HeatherMac!

:)

Joey Lynn Resciniti said...

That is a nice idea. I keep the cards for crafts with my daughter. We never get around to using them all.

Simply Mel {Reverie} said...

I love how the season of giving can just continue on throughout the entire year!

la aventurista said...

What 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 :)

Unknown said...

I 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!

Vodka Logic said...

What a great idea. My mom saves them and uses them as "to froms" the next year.

http://howtobecomeacatladywithoutthecats.blogspot.com said...

Wonderful idea! It always seems so heartless just to throw them away! Thanks for the tip!

Noe Noe Girl...A Queen of all Trades. said...

JennyMac- this is fantastic! And I will be passing it on!
<><

Kathleen said...

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? :-))

We 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!

Kim said...

That is a great idea, especially for someone like me, who LOVES to get rid of things! :)

♥ Braja said...

Now THAT is an idea....good stuff.

though 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

A New England Girl said...

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. :)

Beth Dunn said...

That is a lovely and easy/affordable way to give back. Thank you for sharing! xoxo

SC

Pres. Kathy said...

Thanks for sharing!

Mike said...

What a great thing! Sometimes the best ideas are really the most logical and simple!

Anonymous said...

Thanks 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.

Nonflammable said...

Recyling cards especially for a good cause is my cup of tea.

I 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!

Gretchen said...

awesome idea! Thanks for sharing.

And, tell your friend that she got my card. Her card read, "Hey b*tch, you still owe me $30."

Just kidding.

AiringMyLaundry said...

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.

Anonymous said...

What a great idea...I will definitely do this next year as I have already thrown all mine away after I read them!!

Stephanie said...

Fab idea!

Corrie Howe said...

Another great post for ideas. Thanks. This is even a good idea for the extra Christmas cards in the boxes and drawers.

I've given cards like this in the past to the public schools art departments, but this is a better cause.

Lissaloo said...

That is so neat, I am going to check that out. Thanks so much for the info. :)

Holly Lefevre said...

This is one of the best ideas EVER!

dee said...

This is a WONDERFUL idea! Thank you so much for sharing!!

Unknown said...

this 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.

thanks for sharing this and merry Christmas!!! :)

Laura @ the shorehouse. said...

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.

Unknown said...

This 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!