I never throw away holiday cards. I give them back - 30 years later.

"Every year, I tape all the Christmas cards I receive to the interior side of my front door. As I walk past my entryway, it's nice to see the smiling faces of friends and family. Sometimes I re-read the little updates some people include. Plus, the colorful designs make the house feel a little more festive. But while most people recycle the cards when the season is over, I carefully untape each card and file them away."

"I want to give my loved ones a memento that's truly special My plan has always been to wait until the oldest cards from each sender are 30 years old. It's long enough for life to completely change and for mementos to really feel like something really special. (I've been collecting them for eight years; most of my friends and family have a short 22 years to wait for their memory book.)"

"I'm not necessarily strict on this 30-year deadline. For friends with kids, I might give them their cards back when their youngest graduates from high school. For older or sick loved ones, I'll present their cards much sooner, so they can enjoy their memories while they're well enough to do so. But no matter the date, I love imagining my family members and longtime friends one day looking through their old cards, re-reading their "annual update" paragraphs from decades past, and admiring their youthful photos."

Holiday cards are taped to the interior of the front door so smiling faces and annual updates are visible when passing the entryway. The colorful designs add festive atmosphere and occasional re-reading of updates offers connection. After the season each card is carefully untaped and filed, building nearly a decade of stored cards. The plan is to sort and assemble cards into albums and return them to senders when the oldest cards are thirty years old, with flexibility to present them earlier for families with children or for older or ill loved ones.

Read at Business Insider