Your postcards deserve better than a drawer
Published on 11 July 2026 · 3 min read
There's that exact moment, coming home from work, when you find a real postcard in your mailbox, wedged between two bills. A photo on the front, a few words on the back, your name written by hand. You read it standing in the hallway, you smile, and then... it usually ends up on the corner of a desk, before slipping into a drawer where it slowly gets damaged. A shame, because a postcard you've received can last for years.
Keep them without ruining them
A postcard's first enemy is direct light. Left on a south-facing windowsill, a photo fades within a few months. Damp makes the paper warp, and rubber bands leave marks. The simplest thing is a little shoebox tucked away out of the light, where you stand your cards upright, like records. You can also keep them in a binder with clear sleeves: each card has its place, you see it again when you flip through, and it doesn't gather dust. If a card really matters, keep it flat rather than folded or squeezed between books.
Show them, don't hide them
A postcard is made to be seen. Rather than locking everything away, pull a few out. A wooden peg and a piece of string stretched above your desk, and you've got a garland that changes with each new arrival. Some people cover the fridge door, others slip their favourite card into the frame of the hallway mirror. You can also put up a new one each month on a small shelf and rotate them. The idea is that those words you received keep doing you good, instead of sleeping in the dark.
Turn them into something lasting
Over time, your cards tell a story: a friend's holiday, a nephew's birth, a note from a grandmother who's no longer here. Pencil the date on the back of the ones that don't have it, and you'll be glad to find it again in ten years. And if you feel like keeping the chain going, you too can turn a photo into a real card, printed and posted, from €2.49 all in. The nicest way to keep a card, in the end, is to send one in return.