The sending and receiving of Christmas cards is a tradition which dates back more than 150 years. In the UK, the first ever Christmas cards were printed by John Calcott and sent by Sir Henry Cole in 1843. Since then the tradition has grown and it is estimated that 1.7bn Christmas cards are now sent each year in Britain.
For those of you who are super-prepared, there is a good chance that you will have already prepared your Christmas cards for this year. If you are like us, despite your best efforts to only buy what you actually need, you will probably have a handful of cards left over. You could stick them in the bin or you could stuff them back into a cupboard and tell yourself that you will use them next year. Or, you could find an alternative use for them.
If you have leftover Christmas cards cluttering your house, either those you have sent or those you have received from friends and relatives, here are just five alternative uses for them:
Photo Cards
There are only so many variations on the traditional Christmas card that we can tolerate. For that reason, many of us now choose to use our own personal photos to create our Christmas cards. If you have received a card with an image of friends or relatives on the front, these can become treasured memories. So why not consider cutting them out and placing them into a scrapbook.
Gift Tags
Look in that kitchen drawer that contains all the random things that you don’t have any other home for and there is a good chance you will come across a fist full of the Christmas cards you received last year. Rather than wasting money on purchasing gift tags for this year’s presents, simply invest in some pinking scissors and create your own gift tags using leftover cards.
Collages
Looking for a fun and creative way to spend time with your children during the Christmas holidays? Grab the scissors, grab a pritt-stick (other twisty glue-sticks are available) and make beautiful collages using the scenes from your Christmas cards.
Framed Pictures
We’ve all received Christmas cards over the years that really standout from the norm. With that in mind, if you receive a particularly nice Christmas card this year, why not cut the front off and put it in a nice picture frame?
Recycling Schemes
There are dozens of charities out there who will happily take your unwanted Christmas cards and put them to good use. Just one example is the Marks and Spencer Christmas Card Recycling Scheme. Since 2008, the scheme has collected over 60 million Christmas cards and this has directly led to the planting of over 60,000 new trees.