It always seems a shame and very wasteful to just throw your old Christmas cards away.
There are several things that you can do with your old, used Christmas cards besides simply recycling them along with your usual paper and card. Here are several ideas that are fun to do, festive, and environmentally advantageous!
Making new cards and tags
- Cut out pretty sections of the old cards to make into gift tags for the following year. You might want to cut using pinking shears so that the tags have zig-zag edges. Use a hole punch to punch a hole in one end of each tag, and leftover ribbon to attach the tag to a gift. Remember to recycle the remaining parts of the cards that you have not used.
- Some cards can be cut in such a way that they can be refolded into miniature Christmas cards. These would be ideal for children to give or receive.
- Cut the backs off your old Christmas cards and turn the “fronts” into Christmas postcards. A bonus is that postcards are normally cheaper to send than cards in envelopes.
- Cut out parts of the card and use them to make homemade cards the following year. Many card-making kits contain card shapes that could easily be replicated using old Christmas cards.
Framing ideas
- Frame your favorite winter scenery cards. Framed pictures make lovely gifts, especially for people who have just moved house. Many Christmas cards actually show local landmarks or scenery. Framing such a card and giving it to someone who lives or has lived in that area is also a nice idea. It shows that you have put thought into the gift.
- Some serving trays are designed to double up as a frame for either one or several pictures. These are sometimes called “photo trays” or “picture trays”. Put in your favorite Christmas cards and you will have a lovely festive tray!
- You can also get photo frame coasters. These are normally square and made of glass with foam pads underneath to protect the table from scratches. Like with the trays, insert your favorite Christmas cards (you may have to cut them) to add festivity to your home decor.
- You could make a framed collage of your favorite cards and hang it up as a holiday decoration.
Decoration ideas
- Use cut out shapes of old cards to decorate wrapped presents. This works especially well with gifts wrapped with Kraft (brown) paper or single-colored paper.
Other ideas
- Make a scrapbook of all your favorite cards.
These are good ideas. I like the idea of using the old ones as a postcard and putting them in frames. I have quite a few old greeting cards. I need to get busy! 🙂