Are Christmas Cards A Thing Of The Past?

Do you remember those days when the Christmas cards started arriving in your mailbox; all the colourful envelopes with Christmas stickers, containing photos and letters from relatives and friends you had not seen in years? It used to be so exciting to receive cards in the mail during the Christmas holidays; always wondering whose card you would get first. The thrill of opening them to read the messages and look at the photos, displaying them with your annual card collection.

However, has writing Christmas cards become a thing of the past? The first Christmas card was created and sent in 1843 in the United Kingdom; a tradition that seems to have dwindled over the years. With all of the digital outlets now available, has Facebook and email become your avenue to send holiday greetings to everyone? I know it is probably easier and faster to do, but do you not miss sitting down and writing a personal message to everyone on your list. I suppose it can be a daunting task if you had quite a few cards to write and send out. But now, this practice has changed with the onset of technology. Gone are the handwritten notes that would accompany a card or the holiday letters telling you of the great adventures that had happened over the past year. Thankfully, there are still some that send out handwritten Christmas cards and I look forward to receiving them. I still do my part and send out cards, although my timing might be off.

Some people I have spoken to feel that cards are more commercialized now than in past years; I guess that is a sign of the times and how progress happens. Yet do you feel cards have become too fancy or that those with embedded music are too much? Whatever happened to the handmade cards a child would make and present to their mother or father? If you did those as a kid, what is stopping you from doing that now as an adult? Better yet, with your own children and grandchildren? Now’s the time to be as creative as you want. So when it is all over, what do you do with the cards that you did receive? If you simply throw them out, that is fine, but why? Choose to recycle those beautiful cards. Here are a few ways that you can do just that.

• Use them to make next year’s gift tags
• Make paper chains
• Reuse the Image to make your own cards
• Create a Jigsaw Puzzle
• Make Card Tree Ornaments
• Put Them In Your Household Recycling

Here is your fun activity this week. Sit down with your kids and hand write some cards to those special family members. Grandparents will love to receive a card from their grandchild handmade just for them. Let them add their own special flare and love. I know their creation will be something that will be cherished forever.