There's a great video of a couple going to a store's Valentine's Day card aisle. They each pick out a card for the other person and exchange the cards right in the aisle. They then smile in appreciation, share a kiss, put their respective cards back, and leave.
IF YOU DON'T DO THIS AND HAVE TOO MANY CARDS...
1. Choose a day when you take all of your cards out, and go through them. Choose some nice music, have a glass of wine or a cup of tea on hand, and perhaps invite a friend or family member to join you in person or virtually.
2. Be selective. Try to keep only the cards that are very sentimental or meaningful or that give you great joy to see. Have a container nearby to store the keepers and a bag nearby to recycle the rest.
3. Stay within your chosen container. Remember that you can cut out just the greeting part so you can re-read it, but only keep what will fit.
5. Try to minimize purchasing cards in the future. My husband and I stopped giving each other cards years ago. Or you can do what the smart couple described above does!
IF THIS IS HARD FOR YOU...
1. Repurpose: Make the front of the card into a gift tag like Ilene does, use it as a bookmark, or follow my sister's lead and glue it to the front of a journal.
2. Recycle: Snap a photo of a card and text it to the sender, so they can smile with you. Then toss it in the recycling box.
3. Relinquish: As you go through sentimental items, try this mantra I learned from Professional Organizer Susan Kousek: "Review, Relish, Relinquish."
4. Need one more idea? Create an account on artifcts.com. You can keep your posts private or leave a legacy and share them with your loved ones. Once you post your item, let it go.
Remember that the card is not the person; just because you no longer have a card, doesn't mean you no longer care about the person who gave it to you. While this is a tough process, feel comforted knowing that if you have fewer cards, they can be enjoyed more easily!