And as Santa’s attention is purported to reward a child’s level of “niceness” through the year, could the number of cards you receive be an adult’s indication of your own?

Receiving personalized cards makes us feel appreciated, remembered and important, so it’s appropriate to show off those gloriously decorated cardboard validations. People don’t send or receive as many cards as they did a generation ago, but that can actually be a good thing. It’s easier to make a tasteful display with smaller groups of cards, rather than the walls of string lines common in our suburban bungalows of the 1960s.

First, take an inventory of the spaces you have to work with, the look or theme you’re shooting for and any unique architectural details that can be used. Ceilings over a bay window, bulkheads, arches or transitional spaces allow for vertical strips or creative horizontal “clothes lines” to be made of ribbon, garland, wire, or LED strands of lights. Use a hole punch in the corner of the card and thread a narrow ribbon or ornament hook through it, then attach it to your hanger. You have artistic licence to go as simple or as elaborate as fits your style, according to the ribbons you choose or extra ornamentation such as bells, silk flowers, or bows on the hangers. If you’re renting and have inherited ceiling hooks for hanging plants, you’ve already got a perfect place for showcasing a cascade of cards.

Another simple plan for showing off a few cards is to drape a pretty ribbon from a row of vertical floating shelves or a bookcase and affix greeting cards with two-sided tape. The same approach could show off family photos year-round.

Christmas craft fairs can uncover materials to improvise with in your display. Small details such as tiny red, wooden clothes pins meant for a Danish advent calendar make excellent hangers and work well with a hand-made, country Christmas theme. Stationary shops are also a great place to find fancy paper clips or other supplies you can adapt. Meanwhile, bulletin or plain foam boards can be covered with festive fabric or wrapping paper and mounted on a wall or door. Two-sided tape also comes in handy on a tree-shaped board and is a quick-and-easy way to mount cards as soon as you receive them. Add decorations or florist’s moss in between to cover empty spots.

For the less crafty, store-bought photo display racks can be adapted for smaller cards as well and often sprout up at craft and home accent stores around the holidays. Michaels stores have a “Holiday Jewels Ornament Frame Tree” that stands about one metre. This round, brass spiral tree comes with small frames you can use for pictures that come inside with your cards, but will also allow for cards to be hung. Reid's on 17 Avenue S.W. sells two styles of wreaths for holding cards, one in pewter with a Santa theme and the other, ivy in black metal, while Pier 1 Imports has a tree-shaped metal photo rack that also makes a fashionable spot to house a few greeting cards.

Banisters and Venetian blinds have always been a favourite showcase for larger cards, and if you have a brick fireplace, you can curl the cards between the rows of mortar.

For flat surfaces, consider putting a few cards in a pretty bowl, basket or vase amidst tinsel, pine cones and branches, or ornaments. The fake candle room deodorizers work well here, or just a pretty, unlit candle or figurine. And truly ambitious card carriers may opt to give last year’s haul a second chance by making a card bowl to display them. (To learn how, see sidebar.)

Sometimes the best ideas come from the past. Bought about 40 years ago, likely from a craft fair, family members of this writer’s bring out a 3-D evergreen cardholder with slots to hold a splay of cards on all four sides each Christmas. Replicating the displayer is easy if you have the time and a good sharp Exacto knife. (For how-to instructions, see sidebar).

When you catch sight of your card display, you’ll be reminded of the warmth extended to you and yours.

That’s really what it’s all about.  NL

3-D Christmas Tree
Pick up a large sheet of Bristol board at a craft store. In pencil, draw out two tree shapes with a star on top and “feet” to hold it up. They should be 77 centimetres high and 22 centimetres wide at the base. About every two centimetres along “branch” edges, cut a diagonal slit, with a gentle upward curve for extra grip of the cards. In each tree mark the central axis—this will be the fold. At two locations on the axis, cut a slit of about seven centimetres. Create matching tabs in the other tree. At the centre of each tree create a tab similar to the top of a file folder, about two centimetres deep. Now cut the slots and tabs. Fold each tree along the central axis and fold out the central tab to hold each at 90 degrees. It may help to cut a slit into the fold first. Finally, slide each vertical tab into each vertical slot to form the finished tree. After you’re finished, very lightly spray the tree in your metallic colour of choice.

Eco-friendly Card Bowl
Don’t have just the right vessel to show off friends’ and family members’ greetings? Why not put last year’s cards to good use with an easy-to-make six-sided holder. Start by making a template for the sides from a piece of paper or card stock. Use to trace six identical-sized hexagonal-shaped sides from cards of choice, and then cut sides out. Use a small single-hole punch to make holes all around each side. Fasten by stitching together with embroidery floss. (For less-visible stitches, choose a floss shade close to the card colour.) For the bottom, use the assembled sides as a guide and trace out shape on a piece of card stock, then cut out. Repeat hole-punching on perimeter and stitch bottom to sides. You can also round sides’ top edges for a softer look. There you have a keepsake to show off tidings of Christmases past, present and future.