I have had one of these garlands for at least 10 years. It has been used probably 50 times for very many different occasions. It has held up very well and I've never had the trouble of running out of a letter I needed! I have just purchased one for our daughter/son-in-law and one for our son/daughter-in-law who are both about to have their own children. I purchased a backup for us because I have never seen another set like this!