We love getting holiday cards in the mail, especially those with photos of good friends and family that we don’t get to see that often. Once you open them, they are often left on a counter or thrown into a pile and not glanced at again until it’s time to toss them.

So what do you do with them when we’re done reading them? It seems wrong to just throw them away, since holiday cards are always fun to show off to visiting friends and family. With space at a minimum, displaying them may seem like a daunting task, and you don’t want to store them anywhere, because, well, they’ll just sit there until next year when you’ll ask the same question… So, if you are like many people this time of year and struggling with what to do with all of those beautiful cards once you have opened them, read on.

Sarah on “Take a Moment”

“One of our favorite parts of the holidays is opening up the mailbox everyday to see who we got holiday cards from. Whether it’s our close friends and family, or those folks who we don’t get a chance to see as often, it’s always so much fun to hear what’s happening in people’s lives, and see how big everyone’s kids have gotten. As the cards come in, don’t forget to just take a moment to appreciate the incredible people in your life. If you have children, take a few moments to share the cards with them each night, telling them a little bit about the people who sent the card and why they’re special to you.”

Alicia on “Preparing Ahead for Next Year”

“As you receive cards this holiday season, keep track of who you got cards from, so you’re sure you send them a card next year. Simply rip off the return address labels of the cards you get and put them directly into your contact information. You can do this either when you get the cards, or set aside an envelope in which you’ll place all the labels to copy into your address book later. Be sure to keep that envelope right next to the mail station or mail pile so it’s easy to transfer them in the moment.”

If you’ve got a fridge big enough to hang up all your cards on, well, then, we want to come over! However, if you’re like the rest of us and have limited display space, check out the tips below for some good ideas on keeping those precious cards visible and accessible for all to enjoy throughout the holidays

#1: Ribbons:

A nice way to not only save space, but also to add some functionality to your holiday decorations, is to sting up a nice ribbon on which you can tape up the holiday cards you receive. We’ve seen people put up a few big ribbons above a mantle, down a hallway, or across a door. No ribbon? Just hang some string or wire and hang the cards over it.

#2: Bowl

A great way to save your cards but also save space is to put out and designate a centrally located bowl for all incoming cards. As they start to pile up, it’s fun to sort through them with house guests, looking for old friends and family.

#3: Mailbox

If you’re really dedicated, we had to share one technique of displaying holiday cards that we saw last year. A friend of ours went to her local hardware store and got a small mailbox. She decorated it with some fake snow and a few other holiday accessories, and then put all the cards she received in the mailbox! It was really cute, didn’t take up much space, and she’ll use it for years to come!