Meet Anushka Cross, a woman who is ‘attached’ to her greeting cards that she’s kept nearly 1,000 of them, some dating back to the 1980s.
The 46 year old has filled numerous shoe boxes with sentimental and meaningful cards sent to her and her family for birthdays, Christmas, and other special occasions.
She revealed that the cards have taken over space in her London home, which she shares with her 45 year old husband and their two children, aged 13 and 12.
According to Anushka, birthday cards and the like remain on display on the mantelpiece for months as a reminder of a lovely event.
They are only replaced when another special occasion comes around, meaning there are always some on display. This follows research by Funky Pigeon, which found that 39% of Brits keep every card they receive as it reminds them of loved ones.
Birthday, Christmas and Wedding cards are the most frequently kept, with a quarter of Brits having held onto one for more than 20 years.
Anushka said: “I love greeting cards they’ve always held a special place in my heart. If you look back on them, from over the years, it tells a story – who your friends were, the jokes you made, or family that might not be here.”
To save space, Anushka has spent hours crafting photo albums to store them, including one dedicated to cards from the couple’s wedding back in 2007.
She is fervently committed to reusing and repurposing her cards where she can and has plans to craft a piece of art to display them all properly.
Her affection for greeting cards began in her adolescence: “I have cards dating back to when I was aged 16 probably even younger.”
“I stored them in my parents’ attic for a long time, until I had to do a clear out for them. I couldn’t bear to get rid of them, so I just brought them to my house.”
Now, she collects and stores every card that is sent to her or her family throughout the year.
When they’re not on display, Anushka stashes her cards away into about seven shoe boxes that are kept in dedicated cupboards around the house.
Research from Funky Pigeon also revealed that, like Anushka, eight in 10 believe a physical card holds more sentiment than any digital alternative, with 22 per cent frequently re-reading ones they’ve received in the past.
Christmas was seen as the most significant occasion to send one for, followed by key birthdays and times requiring sympathy but 48% admit they could make more effort to remember key dates during the year.
A spokesperson from Funky Pigeon added: “It’s great to see how sending a card can mean so much to someone.”
“They can have a long-lasting impact on people’s lives and that’s as much down to the design as the heartfelt messages they can deliver to those when they need it.”
