Holiday greetings: Displaying those cheerful Christmas cards
With good wishes and glad tidings, Christmas cards are starting to arrive at homes as friends and family begin sending holiday greetings.
Envelopes are eagerly opened, read with smiles and then… Well, you don’t want to shut them away in a drawer.
What to do?
Christmas cards, a holiday tradition that originated in the 19th century, can easily add to your holiday decorations.
They feature beautiful artwork of landscapes, city streets, small towns and country churches as well as whimsical pictures of Santa Claus, snowmen, nutcrackers and gingerbread men. Many cards carry religious images while others trumpet pop culture. And creating a photo card of your family is a popular way to send greetings.
Whether you choose a few or all of them, it’s fun to display the cards and always a delight to read them again and again.
Julia Messner, adult and teen program director for the Carnegie Free Library in Connellsville, who leads the library’s new craft club, Creative Arts, talked about ways to display Christmas cards.
Messner quickly suggested something a little different that may be used for your most memorable cards.
“You can keep them in picture frames,” said Messner. “That’s why my mother does.”
Take your favorite cards and put them into frames, either singular or use multiple cards if it’s a bigger frame. You can set them on furniture or hang them on walls.
Messner said many people display Christmas cards on the mantles of their fireplaces. You can also decorate banisters with the cards, whether you attach them to the banister itself or hang them on garland. Don’t forget to add small lights and/or ribbon to your garland to create a festive tone.
Some people prefer to hang cards along a wall or surround a doorway with them where the cards are quick to catch your eye. If you don’t want to put the cards on the wall or frame itself, hang a ribbon and attach the cards with clips or pins.
You can also consider hanging cards in a shape, such as a star or Christmas tree. Messner said she’s seen images on the internet of people recycling their cards by gluing them on poster board that’s cut into the shape of a tree.
Messner has also seen internet images of people using Christmas cards to create a holiday wreath.
“You can hot glue them onto a wire or frame,” she explained.
Whatever you choose, Messner said it’s a good idea to leave the cards you display open so you can still see the messages inside.
Shutterfly, an internet-based, image publishing company, also offers some tips on its website at www.shutterfly.com/ideas/holiday/christmas.
They include using twine or string to create a rustic card display. You can hang the twine simply or arrange it in a shape and attach the cards.
Shutterfly also suggests using a bulletin board to display cards and adding ribbon, crafts and lights. Or you might like to use a chalkboard, taking chalk to write a holiday greeting.
Another idea that takes a little more work is to gather tree branches and put them in a vase. Then adorn the branches with cards hung by ribbons. Tie a larger ribbon around the vase, Shutterfly notes.
And to keep it simple, Shutterfly suggests placing Christmas cards in a basket or a festive plate on a table.
You might want to keep those cards beside a comfortable chair where you can easily pick them up to read when you have a quiet moment.
If you have yet to send out your Christmas cards, it’s time to get started.
You might want to prepare a little space for this work, whether it’s a desk or your kitchen table. Besides cards, you want to have pens, stamps and addresses on hand. You might also want to decorate the envelopes with stickers. And don’t forget to put your return address on the envelope to help those who may have lost yours. It’s especially important if you moved this past year.
For many, sending greetings means picking an appropriate card and simply signing your name. But what if you want to add a special message and are stuck on ideas?
Hallmark, the greeting card company, has a few suggestions on its website at ideas.hallmark.com.
A few samples for friends include:
“Praying you have a wonderful Christmas filled with moments you’ll always remember.”
“May your season be merry and your presents underwear-free (unless you really need some!).”
“So grateful to have a friend like you at Christmas and all year long.”
A few samples for family are:
“At Christmas and always, what a blessing you are.”
“So glad we’re family…and so grateful for all the great Christmas memories we share.”
“You’re someone who helps me remember the true reason for the season, and I’m so grateful for you.”
And for someone in difficult circumstances:
“Our hearts are with you and your family. All our love,”
“It’s hard when Christmas comes during a difficult time. Just want you to know I’m thinking of you.”
“Sending you hugs this Christmas. Take good care of you.”
From my own experience, it’s nice to turn on Christmas music or a Christmas movie as well as your Christmas lights and brew a cup of tea or hot chocolate to make writing cards an enjoyable tradition.
You can include the entire family by allowing everyone a chance to sign their names and give each a job, such as sealing envelopes, looking up addresses, placing stamps or checking names off your list.
Writing Christmas cards can be a fun experience. And displaying them in your home not only makes for a beautiful display but can have a calming effect during a busy holiday season.
While some people are moving away from sending Christmas cards, they remain a tradition for many.
In fact, the U.S. Postal Service reported in October that it expected to move more than 15 billion pieces of mail this year between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, a 10 percent increase over 2016.
Many of those pieces will be Christmas cards, which continue to offer people a way to remember those who are important in their lives.
Messner said, “I have a group of friends that I still send to. They still like to send and receive cards.”
At this time of year when people are counting their blessings, a Christmas card can add to those warm feelings.
Said Messner, “It lets people know you are thinking of them.”