Eliot is big on greeting cards. I am not. Of course I would feel terrible if I didn’t get one from Eliot on my birthday or Valentine’s Day. If you really think about it, you realize what a big waste of money they are. Five dollars for a card that gets read for exactly five seconds. You spend at least 15 minutes picking it out and the receiver reads it once and then displays it on a mantle for a few days or just throws it on the kitchen table. In either case, the card that meant so much looks like a dusty, faded piece of paper a few weeks later. Then it gets dumped or thrown in a drawer, never to be seen again.

For years I kept all of the cards Eliot and I sent each other and the ones we exchanged with Whitney. I had several drawers filled with these cards that no one ever looked at. Every time we get into one of our clean-up moods, the cards get thrown out. We get nostalgic for about 10 minutes, start to read a few, then tire quickly. When no one is looking, they get tossed.

I told a few of my “dedicated mommy” friends that I threw out drawers of cards and they were horrified. They looked at me like I should be brought up on child abuse charges. Their eyes told me that they thought I was evil, a bitch, good-for-nothing, ingrate, cold, not loving, etc. Who are they kidding? Their closets are filled with these so called “testimonials” of love but they never look at them. The cards will get tossed when they have to move or when their adult children have to clean out their homes.

Okay, keep a few, chuck the rest. Make room for other junk. I know I sound heartless but fess up, do printed cards really represent the quality of your relationship? A few verbal words (that are probably far more difficult for you to express) would be a holiday bonus.

I personally think sending an e-card is very acceptable in the age of digital. If you have been naughty, then get a printed one and insert some big bucks inside.

A Harris Interactive survey found that 38 percent of adults aged 18 and older sent an electronic Valentine’s Day card this year.

Of those, 28 percent said they would send an e-card to their spouses on Valentine’s Day, while 14 percent planned to send the digital card to friends. Those e-card recipients were followed by children (11%), mothers (9%), boyfriends/girlfriends (8%), fathers (3%), grandparents (3%), secret crushes (3%), co-workers (3%), “the hot receptionist at work” (3%), bosses (2%) and a “weekend fling” (1%).

The survey also pointed out that e-cards are becoming more popular because:

They’re free (53%).
They’re convenient if you forget to buy a physical card (43%).
They have animations (35%).
They’re environmentally friendly (34%).
They’re interactive (24%).
You don’t need to know the recipient’s postal address (23%).
Edgier than traditional greeting cards (13%).
No one has to see you buy them (9%).
They can contain NSFW (not safe for work) content (6%).