Christmas Inspiration

– this is how you hang up the Christmas cards –

You probably have quite a collection at home too, but no idea where to put them all. There are really nice Christmas cards you know, but there are also quite a few less attractive specimens available. Especially for the latter, you just need to come up with a really fun way to present those things. After all, you don't want to disappoint people by putting them on the pile of old newspapers.

That's why I was asked to put together some ideas to present the Christmas cards in the most fun way. I'm happy to do that. Now I'll skip the clothesline with clips and the mantelpiece scene and focus on the newer ideas. And those newer ideas are, as the person with the black-and-white Polaroid Christmas tree says himself, quite suited to me.

Back in the day, when I was in school, there was a lot of emphasis on presentation techniques . So don't be surprised if there’s sometimes some carpentry involved in these examples. The first one is easy and quite achievable. You can indeed present Christmas cards on a mantelpiece, but do it with love. Make it an exhibition. For example, buy those small easels (Xenos) and cloches (upside-down vases or jam jars) and use these for the presentation. This way, the cards really come into their own and actually become little artworks to look at. Sort them a bit by color, as that makes the view a bit calmer, and just slide the less pretty cards a bit further back. What you can also do is buy a small Christmas tree. It can be a real one, but they also have nice alternative trees nowadays. On a wooden tree, for example, you can easily hammer in nails to hang the cards on.

Now comes the alternative to the clothesline with clips. Hanging up Christmas cards is really not that silly. What you can do is find a large branch in the woods and hang it up. Then you not only hang the cards on it, but also decorations like angels, glitter, and candy canes. That makes it a colorful affair and creates a cozy whole.

If you don't want something to take up a lot of space, then you should think of a flat ‘storage specimen’. I find this example quite amusing. You hammer some nails into the wall, although I would personally choose a wooden board, and make the shape of a Christmas tree with a rope or colored thread. You can easily slide the cards in between or attach them with a colored clip.

This last option is my favorite. You get nice tapes at home, paper tape to be precise because that doesn't take all the plaster with it after Christmas, and stick the cards to the wall with it. I would recommend sorting them somewhat by color again, as that creates a very nice gradient. Even more fun is to hang everything in the shape of a Christmas tree or star or heart. You do need to have collected quite a bit, but that makes the Christmas feeling a bit stronger.