Saturday, January 10, 2009

Don't throw those Christmas cards out!

By now, you've probably taken down the tree and stored all the ornaments. The stockings, the knick-knacks, and the pine cones are tucked away for next year. But if you are like me, you haven't parted with the Christmas cards yet. Mine are stored in a drawer for two reasons.

First, I like to take my time reading all the Christmas letters so I tuck them all in a drawer until I can read every word and catch up on what's been happening with far away friends and family.

Second, I double check the return addresses against what I have in my address book to be sure no one has moved. And I also have a little box to check to say that I've received a card. It helps me keep track of those I've heard from--at my age, I need lots of memory helpers.

But once that's done, what do we do with the beautiful cards? Make all sorts of things, of course!

  • Use pinking shears or those fancy scrapbook scissors to cut squares from the cards and make nametags or gift cards for next year's presents.

  • Cut the cards to index card size and use them to make fancy recipe cards to share with friends or family.

  • Make Christmas tree ornaments by tracing around cookie cutter shapes, cutting them out and gluing them back to back with a looped ribbon in between to use as a hanger. This is a great activity for the kids--now or in December.

Any one else with other great ideas for those cards?



1 comment:

Lori said...

My daughter likes to cut out the pretty pictures and make collages with our cards. I eventually throw out the collage, too, but the activity keeps her busy for an hour or so, lets her practice her cutting skills, and encourages her creativity.