My Cousin’s Amazing Recycled Christmas Cards

Blog author Alex Cook's photo

By Alex Cook

My cousin Belinda has one of the coolest Christmas card traditions I’ve ever seen! Every year, she hand crafts cards using materials from cards and decorations she keeps from the year before. Every card is unique. She adds a family photo by ordering multiple copies of the same photo from Shutterfly (usually free printing, just pay for shipping) and sticks them inside the card along with a personal message. 

This year my wife Katie and I got her card a little bit late due to USPS delays, likely related to the pandemic. We were BLOWN AWAY by the quality of the card itself and had to text her just to double-check this one wasn’t machine made. Wow!

Home made Christmas card using recycled materials... features a car with a wreath on it, a house decorated, and "seasons greetings"

Inside of the card featuring a photo of the family and a personal message

For 2021, Belinda asked people to send her “used” cards to her; Katie and I are totally sending her all of our 2020 cards.

The only suggestion for improvement I have is a better photo quality. Of all the photo labs I tested, Shutterfly is among the lowest quality. I told Belinda I’d print next year’s photos on the photo printers at NanaGram HQ and mail them to her. 🙂

Another angle on our Christmas card

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