Every holiday has its own festive decor. There are Halloween decorations, 4th of July decorations, and even Easter decorations. But Christmas has a special tradition that no other holiday has. Cards!
I always look forward to creating our family Christmas card before the holidays. And receiving cards from loved ones is just as enjoyable!
But with so many showing up in the mail, there’s typically a lot of “card clutter” on our countertop. Sound familiar? The good news is that those cards can double as decor.
They might seem like they only have one purpose, but Christmas cards can be used as garland, framed pictures, place cards, and more. If you check out my video below, you can see how I use them in my own holiday home!
Want some more ideas to make use of all of those Christmas cards? I put together some ideas that are super simple! So grab this year’s (and last year’s) cards and get to decorating!
Create A Framed Photo
When it’s finally time to clean up my holiday decor, I often think “That card is just too pretty to throw away!” And in moments like these, I put a select few cards in a box and save them for the following year.
As the holidays roll around and I start decorating, I take out my cards from the prior year and put them to good use in a frame. I like to use floating ones so that you can see through the glass, but any frame should work.
It’s such an easy way to add festive colors and images to your home!
Holiday Card Garland for Your Tree
In my household, we have more than one Christmas tree. I enjoy decorating each one differently, but coming up with new ideas isn’t always easy! This year, I’m getting some tree decor help from HGTV with this easy-to-do craft.
It’s best done with last year’s card, but you can also use some of those super pretty ones from this year if you can’t wait! Using a cup, coin, or another template, cut out shapes from your holiday cards. With hot glue, attach these little cut-outs onto a long strand of twine or string.
Told you it’s simple! But for more instructions, you can follow the link HERE.
Repurpose Cards as Gift Tags
If your family puts all of the presents under the same tree, you’ll have to have a way to tell them apart! While gift tags may seem like an obvious answer, you can actually DIY them instead of buying them from the store.
Pick out some vibrant cards from the previous year—ones with large images or patterns. Next, trace circles, squares, or other shapes onto the front of the cards, and cut out the shape with scissors.
You can also find cards with sayings like “Merry Christmas!” or “Have a Happy New Year” on them and cut out the text instead.
When you have all of your shapes, punch out a small hole at the top of the tag with a hole puncher and thread some twine or ribbon through the tag. You can find more detailed instructions HERE, but otherwise, you should be set with some brand-new gift tags!
Inexpensive Door Display
This clever idea from Thrifty Decor Chick will take you all of five minutes to complete.
Head to the craft store and buy a roll or two of ribbon. Ideally, it should be about 2-3 inches wide. Snag a few push pins, a bundle of mini clothespins, and you’re ready to get started!
To display your Christmas cards, you’ll need to select a door in your home. I would choose my pantry door since it’s in a central place (and I’m always in the kitchen during the holidays!), but any door will work fine.
After a few snips and securing the ribbon on the backside of the door, you’ll have a great display for all of your cards! Find detailed instructions HERE.
Make Some Place Cards
Hosting a dinner this holiday season? Make it extra personal by placing custom name cards at everyone’s seats.
Similar to making gift tags, you’ll want to find cards with patterns or big shapes on them. Ones that don’t have text are best!
When you have them picked out, cut squares or rectangles from the cards. After, you’ll want to find a solid piece of cardstock, and cut the same shape (but just a bit smaller) from the cardstock.
With the swipe of a glue stick or a little bit of double-sided tape, put the solid paper on top of the patterned card. Add a name (and some ribbon if you’re feeling crafty) and you have a lovely little place card!
Whether it helps you save a bit of money or it gets you into the crafting mood, I hope these ideas for repurposing all of those Christmas cards are helpful!
From my holiday home to yours,
Jill
