Christmas card jigsaw game:
Make a Christmas jigsaw game. Gather 10-20 cards and cut each one into 3 or 4
pieces, using straight lines. Shuffle them all up together and lay them out on a
flat service such as a dining table or the floor – then put them back together
again. Store the cards in a shoebox for next time. This is fun on a quiet family
evening at the beginning of the season as it helps to get everybody into the
Christmas spirit! You can play the game as a race between individual players and
teams, too. As each card is completed, the person or team who added the final
piece put their token on top; at the end the tokens are counted and the person
or team with the most tokens wins. If you like, you can also increase the
difficulty each year as your children get older by cutting the cards into
smaller pieces!
Christmas window decoration:
Choose a color of card which suits your usual decorating scheme (all gold and
silver, red and white, etc). Cut pretty Christmas shapes out of the cards and
stick them back to back, sandwiching a piece of clear thread or fishing line
between them as you do so. Make each length slightly different. Suspend in a
window for a pretty "mobile" decoration.
Christmas candle votives:
Collect small glass jars (baby food jars are ideal) or buy some cheap candle
votive jars. Cut pretty strips from your old Christmas cards and use to wrap
around the outside of the jars - leaving space at the top and bottom of the
strip for the candle to spark through. Alternatively, cut small shapes such as
stars or circles from the cards and glue in a pattern around the jars. Gold,
silver and sparkly/glittery cards look especially effective.
Christmas tree ornaments:
Make cinnamon stick ornaments for the Christmas tree. Wrap a small bundle of
cinnamon sticks together with a pretty ribbon tied in a bow (leave a loop for
hanging). Using a small dab of glue, attach a pretty shape cut from a Christmas
card with pinking shears to the centre of the ribbon bow to finish the ornament
off. These look pretty and smell delicious too!
Scented sachets:
Make scented sachets to give as gifts or fragrance your own home. Simply glue
the bottom and side edges of the card together and then slip a small amount of
potpourri (or a cotton ball on which you have dropped a little Christmas
essential oil) into the space. Use a hole punch to make two holes on the top
edge, through which you can thread a pretty ribbon before tying a bow. If you
leave a loop in the ribbon, the sachets can be hung on door handles, coat hooks
or radiators (the heat will help to release the scent, but it won’t last as
long) to create a welcoming, Christmas atmosphere.
Napkin rings:
Make simple napkin rings for the Christmas table by cutting colorful strips from
your Christmas cards and stapling them to form a loop.
Christmas letters:
If your child is learning their ABCs, you can cut large letter shapes out of old
Christmas cards for a special play alphabet. You could use the letters to
sticky-tack your child's name to their bedroom door, or just use them to spell
out words or play other alphabet games.
If you don't want to use your Christmas cards for crafts, please don't just
throw them away - recycle them! You will find details of a UK recycling scheme
here, or look in your local paper.
