Each year at Christmas time I get giddy when the mailman comes.

I love keeping in touch with friends from all over. And Christmas = Christmas cards in the mailbox. Dave and I lived in so many different areas before we plopped ourselves here in this corner of the desert ten years ago, and I love that even though we don’t live by most of the friends we’ve made over the years anymore, we get to watch their children grow each year.

Each year we stick the cards all over the kitchen so we can think of those friends all season long.

And each year Dave conducts a mock “Christmas card contest” with the kids to determine which one they like best. But we all like all of them best so that makes it tricky:)

But I think Dave ruled that this one was “most creative” this year:…And I think he’s right.

I like to keep track of good card ideas for next year too, so here are some other favorites mostly picked out by the kids:

I love the composition of this one:

…and this one:
Those guys above babysit the kids when Dave and I leave town so they were extra attached to that one.

You gotta love a little black and white:

…and beauty professional:

I love the lighting on this one:

My very favorite card was from our friends we lived next to in Washington D.C. She taught me drawing classes when Max and Elle were babies. She is amazingly talented. And her card is always a work of art:
I’d love to hang that one lifesize on my wall I think it is so peaceful and beautiful and serene. (Click here for more info. on her…she’s on Mormon.org too.)

Each year, after the rest of the Christmas things are tucked safely away until next year, we let the cards linger for a couple days.

Then we reluctantly peel them off and our kitchen goes from this:

To this:
And we feel like we just moved in….

…for weeks later.

But we cut them down and put them in photo albums to pull out and look at during the Christmas season each year.

We miss all those familiar faces keeping us company in the kitchen, but our gratitude is renewed for the influences that each of them have had in our lives over the years.

17 Comments

  1. Oh Shawni….I love that you keep them in a book. I've been wondering what to do with mine.
    Next year I'm sending you a Christmas card…just so I can make the kitchen! haha!
    Great to be back to blogging. I so enjoy it and have loved catching up with your cute fam!

  2. Years ago life got stressful and something had to give at the Holidays. That something was a family Christmas card. For years it has not bothered me. Until this year when we only received 5 cards. I miss seeing all those friends faces that we love. Reading about what is going on in their lives. Now it is my turn to reach out again and send out a 2012 Christmas card. I like what you do with the cards when you take them down. Cleaver idea.

  3. LOVE your kitchen! I saw the idea in the Ensign a few years back to put the cards in an album and that is what we have been doing. It is fun to look through past years.

  4. Great idea to put them in a book! I actually teach preschool for one of the kiddos in one of those cards, so that was fun to see him! I love the "Christmas wallpaper" the cards create 🙂

  5. my family did a music video christmas card this year that we e-mailed to all of our friends. It was a super fun way to send out our love and it was easy to send out!

  6. That is so awesome that you lived next to Rose Datoc Dall! I love her artwork! And how wonderful that you get a card each year that doubles as a beautiful print!

  7. Loved this post!! I'm in awe at the number of cards you receive. I am sure all of those cards speak to the amazing people and friends that you are!

  8. I love the idea of making them into a book – I might go back and do that! I keep EVERY card, and every year I sit on the floor after the kids go to bed and we've decorated the tree and look through all the old cards. I love looking back and seeing how children grow and families change.

  9. I've always displayed my cards on a Christmas card holder (but you can't see them as well as yours.

    I've always put put the pictures from my Christmas cards in with the rest of my scrapbook right before our family Christmas pictures. I've loved looking at how my friend's kids have changed over the years too!

    Opening Christmas cards during December is one of my favorite things about the holidays (and I don't even get as many as you!)

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