By Julie L., TSS Staff

Your mailbox will soon be filled with stacks of gorgeous Holiday Cards.  Save them from the recycling bin this year with these fun 10 tips that will turn your holiday cheer into something creative for yourself and your family.

Holiday Card Idea #1: Punch it

Punch holes in the top left corner of the cards and stick hooks through them to hang on your tree. By doing this, you can decorate your Christmas tree in a unique way and show off your cards at the same time. I would suggest using ornament hooks or even personalized ribbons or ribbons with texture. They won’t clutter up your tables, so you will have more room to display fun holiday gadgets.

Holiday Card Idea #2: Frame it

Cut the photo cards down to size and slide them into picture frames.  This is a great way to showcase your friends and family, and the frame will protect the card from damage. If the photo card is timeless, it can even be used throughout the year. You can even jazz this up by putting the holiday card into a theme-specific frame, like “Holidays at the Beach” or “Winter Wonderland.”

Holiday Card Idea #3: Collage it

Create a collage out of the photo cards and frame it. This is a great way to show off a variety of holiday cards from everyone, and will save space in your house as well. You can overlap the cards and put them in a glass frame to hang on your wall near your entranceway so everyone can see what a great job you did when they come over to celebrate the holidays.

Holiday Card Idea #4: Scrap it

Cut them up and use the pattern or words for scrapbooking. Usually, holiday cards come with family photos, fun patterns, designs, cute caricatures, and sweet/sassy/clever sayings or quotes that you can utilize for holiday scrapbooking down the road. Keep those cards in a folder or use an empty cereal box to store them.  Break them out when you’re working on scrapbooking to bring out your holiday spirit.

Holiday Card Idea #5: Scan it

Scan them on your computer and use them for your social media sites. You can scan the entire card or just a section and use it as your Facebook or Twitter profile picture for a “12 Days Before Christmas” theme. Change the images daily for 12 days and on the last day, you can have an image that says “Merry Christmas” or “Happy Holidays” (scanned from a card!). You can also use the images for your blog, building holiday cards for the next year, or create an animated video to display on YouTube!

Holiday Card Idea #6: Display it

Display them on wire photo holder bases.  You can find these in many gift or retail stores.  They are generally used for photographs, but how cute would it be to put your holiday cards on them instead? This is perfect for baby photos, or even just a seasonal winter card with snowflakes. Print out a picture of your family or baby, pet or grandparents, and you can paste it over another holiday photo card to make it your own. This is a fun whimsical way to show off how clever you are during the holidays.

Holiday Card Idea #7: Gift Tag it

Recycle the unwritten side of the card as gift tags. Whether it be a seasonal card or a cute saying, the possibilities are endless! All you need to do is clip out that section on the card, poke a hole in the top left side, and tie some ribbon through it to use it for a gift tag. You can write on the back (or even the front) to personalize it especially for that lucky recipient.

Holiday Card Idea #8: Border it

Build a holiday wallpaper border.  You can do this in your living room, kitchen, kids room, basement, or anywhere you want!  Simply line up your holiday cards next to each other until they reach around the entire room.  You can use holiday cards from previous years and print out fun pictures of Santa, snow, and reindeer and combine everything to fill out the space. Once you’re done, your room will look cheerful and bright!

Holiday Card Idea #9: Hang it

Create wall art.  Try this clever idea for home decor. Hang, tie or pin holiday photo cards to a floor-to-ceiling trimmed ribbon in your hallway for a nice vertical display. The ribbon can be holiday patterns and colors, and the cards can be hole-punched and tied onto the ribbons, pinned with some holiday-themed pins, or even hung with a safety pin. You can be as creative as you want with this, and it will look fantastic!

Holiday Card Idea #10: Zigzag it

Grow your own Holiday Tree.  Trim a different kind of tree this holiday season. Zigzag a piece of ribbon across a section of the wall going left to right with a downward slope. Start from the top with small sections, and gradually add on longer sections so it will look like a zigzagged tree. Use clothespins, safety pins, holiday clips, glue, ribbon, string, etc., to connect the cards to the ribbon, creating a nice visual Christmas tree effect (with your cards as the ornaments) on the wall. On top of that, you can get even more creative by cutting the cards into festive shapes (like a tree, a circular ornament, a gingerbread man, or even a reindeer!) and adding the cards on a strand of holiday lights or tinsel to the tree decoration.

This year when you get your holiday cards in the mail, you are now prepared with 10 creative and unique ways to show them off. Instead of tossing them aside, put them to use to help you decorate your home! A nice personalized touch is just what Santa ordered!