On Instagram this past December, I shared how we save Christmas cards each year, and people went CRAZY! Not only did I share “how”, but also “why” and I received SO MANY comments. Many of you let me know how thankful you were that I shared this little tip. So I figured I should share it here on the blog in case you missed it.
I know we all enjoy our trips to the mailbox each December when the Christmas cards start rolling in. It’s such a joy to open them up and see how the families have grown each year and what they have been up to. Since we personally send cards, I am fully aware how much effort it takes to get these out the door in the busy holiday season. Because of this, I look at each card as a little gift from our loved ones.
So I just can’t bring myself to toss them once Christmas is over! Here is a simple way to Save Christmas Cards each year.
Items Needed: Save Christmas Cards
- Book Ring (or even just a piece of ribbon)
- Hole Punch
- Christmas Memories Printable (free printable!)
To make these, I just use a book ring and hole punch the top left corner of each card. It only takes a few minutes at the end of the holidays to assemble. I got my cards all organized with book rings this year, but if you don’t want to purchase book rings, it works just as well using a piece of ribbon to connect them.
To keep each year organized, I just use an extra personal holiday card for the cover.
I started this tradition a few years ago and I am so happy that I did. Of course, if you are counting here, you may notice that I am missing a few years. Yeah- let’s just not talk about 2014 and 2015- apparently those are the lost years- figuratively and literally! This year, I pulled them out and put them in a basket on the coffee table and the boys loved looking through the old cards at their friends when they were babies. It was fun to see a few years back how some families have gone from 1 to 3 children in the past few years.
Free Printable- Christmas Memories
A fun new addition to this tradition this year is that I added a page for each child to write down their favorite gift and favorite Christmas memories. I think this will be fun to look back at over the years to see what they were into each year. You can download a copy for yourself here.
Now, I am ALLLLLL for purging. Purge, purge, purge! So, if this idea doesn’t resonate with you, I totally get it! But if you have a little extra storage space in your Christmas tubs, this is a fun tradition to start and something your kids will likely enjoy in the coming years.
Happy New Year!
xoxo-
Heather
I have created a Christmas card book. Each year I put one the cards I send into a binder or book. Fun to look back to see how the designs have changed. As I get older, I’ll probably send the “old” card to special people & tell them this is the card I sent in 1962,
Aw! Love the idea of putting them in a binder or a book. And yes, I can already see in the past 5 years how the designs and trends have changed. Happy New Year!
Hi there. Thanks for your posts. I really enjoy them. I had to share this with you. Years ago my best friend gave me a book called 25 years of Christmas memories. I was faithful TIL 2014 and 2015. I still don’t know excactly what happened but I missed those years! I had to use my calendars and journals to fill in the blanks. LOL! I love your Christmas card saving idea. It alway pains me to rid them. I keep a special few each year for my book. Now I will use your suggestion and save them all. At my age (64) there are so many folks that I wish I had kept their card, because it would be the last one I received from them. Fortunately some of these I did keep for my memory book. Now I will have them all. Thank you and all the best for 2019.
Sincerely
Nancy Cornwall
nancysitel@hotmail .com
Happy New Year Nancy! Thanks for your note. That is such a sweet gift idea and I love the thought of keeping 25 years all in one place to look back at. Funny how we both fell off in 2014 and 2015 on saving our Christmas cards. Wishing you all the best in 2019 as well.