Each year we receive numerous holiday cards from all our family, friends, and loved ones, near and far. Some of these faces see daily/weekly, but many we don't get to see very often, especially with covid, and cross-country moves, and just the business of life! So receiving a card each year makes us all smile, watching these families grow and change from year to year. And it just feels too sad to throw all those cards away!
Now, we have developed a great system to save our Christmas cards, so we can always look back on all the faces and families that were important to us that year!
Here’s how you can make your own Christmas card booklet to enjoy throughout the season and beyond:
Materials needed:
Hole punch
Metal binder rings (you can get these on Amazon, or any local office supply store!)
1. Punch a hole at the top of one card, off-center to the left a bit. Then measure over about 2 inches and make another hole.
2. Use this picture as a guide and punch holes in the remaining cards.
3. Stack the pictures to line up the holes and thread the ring through each hole.
4. Put your own family photo on top so it helps you remember what year each booklet represents!
Having this booklet each year gives me an excuse to talk to my kids about the family, review who everyone is and how we know them. It is a great way to honor the families we know and for my kids to get to know them. This was especially important with toddlers throughout the pandemic when we didn't get to see a lot of them in person as my little ones were getting to the age to actually understand and remember those faces. I hope this becomes a fun way for your family to have an annual photo album to look back on each year as a new holiday tradition!
Bonus! Since you likely bought those metal rings in bulk and need an excuse to use up the rest of them, this would also be a great way to save cards from wedding showers, kids' birthdays or all the baby announcements you receive throughout the years!
