making Christmas cards

 

Christmas cards are a familiar sight on our door mats from mid-December onwards. Even if you haven’t seen much of each other during the year, a card wishing a merry Christmas and a happy New Year is a great way to let your loved ones know you’re thinking of them.

 

Sending Christmas greetings is an ancient tradition. In the Middle Ages, wood carvings of religious Christmas scenes were given to loved ones or local lords. Fortunately for postmen, today we’re happy to settle for paper and cardboard. The first real Christmas card is said to have been made in 1843 by an English artist, and showed a family celebrating Christmas with the message ‘A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to You’. We also know that a bookseller in Amsterdam was selling cards with New Year's greetings in 1873.

Christmas cards are available in shops, including HEMA, well before the month of December. But you can also make your own! If that sounds like a good idea, but you don’t like crafts, you can also create a nice photo card.

Play video watch the video

making your own Christmas cards

Always thought that making your own Christmas cards is too fiddly? It’s much easier than you think! As long as you have some good ideas, creating your own personal holiday cards can be simple, fast and easy. Read on for inspiration.

  • Want to keep your Christmas cards simple and funny? This reindeer card is an ideal example of how to make one in a few easy steps. Draw an egg shape in the middle of a blank correspondence card (if you want to make more than one, use an egg shape as a model). Attach a pompom to the egg as a nose, then draw dots for eyes and trace antlers above the nose – and your reindeer is ready! You can make pompoms yourself: wind a woollen thread lots of times around the end of a fork, then pass another thread through the tines and make a knot in the middle of the bundle. Next, slide the whole thing off the fork and cut through the loops at both ends. You can also use ready-made pompoms for the nose. If you prefer a Christmas tree to a reindeer, simply draw the shape of a tree and use the pompom as a Christmas ornament or topper.
  • You can also choose a different theme for your Christmas cards. For a more wintry approach, cut a snowman shape out of a white card. Stick on some funny eyes, cut out an orange cardboard triangle for the nose, draw a mouth with a black marker, and use some ribbon, buttons or pompoms to dress your snowman warmly. This creates a cheerful, wintry Christmas effect, and is super simple for almost anyone to do.
  • To make a card with Christmas ornaments, cut out circles in Christmas wrapping paper and glue them onto a blank card. Use a pen to draw little squares over them and a line representing string to the top of the card. Write your Christmas greetings under the ornaments.
  • Like to send invitations for a great Christmas party? Put some confetti inside the cards. This already makes for a festive effect when the recipient opens the invitation! Just make sure you use larger-size confetti and don’t put too much in – after all, you’re sending an invitation, not an instant mess!
  • Christmas cards finished and ready to send? Add a nostalgic and original finishing touch to the envelope by sealing it with a wax stamp in the shape of a star.

 

make a photo card

Would you like to send an original Christmas card, but don’t feel like crafting one yourself? With HEMA you can easily create your own photo card! Start from scratch with every element added by you, or pick a basic frame or style and customise according to your wishes. There are lots of fun Christmas-themed elements you can add to your card – how about a shiny red nose on your photo, for instance? The festive photo cards can be ordered in batches of ten and will be delivered to your house within four days. It’s the easiest way to can make your own Christmas cards without turning to scissors and glue.

kant-en-klare kerstkaarten

ready-made Christmas cards

If crafting Christmas cards isn’t your thing, don’t worry! You can come to HEMA for all sorts of pre-printed cards, from cheerful colour motifs to more subtle ones using only silver. All you have to do is add your personal message and send them off!