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Five quick ways to reuse old Christmas cards

Just in time for Twelfth Night - good for you, good for the planet. By Adrienne Wyper

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PP woman cutting card - Ways to reuse old Christmas cards - Craft - allaboutyou.com

Twelfth Night is approaching, and whether that's January 5 or 6 seems to be a matter of opinion. It depends on when you believe the 12 days of Christmas start. Hundreds of years ago, the consensus was that Christmas started at sunset on December 24, and therefore the 12th night after that was January 5. However, if you count from December 25 itself, Twelfth Night falls on January 6. So perhaps it's safest to take down your decorations on the 5th, because if you leave them up beyond Twelfth Night you'll have to leave them up until next Christmas to avoid bad luck!

Whichever date you choose, we're faced with the guilt-inducing problem of what to do with all those Christmas cards. If you want to keep them - and you've got the space - problem solved. But if you like to make a clean sweep, here are some green ideas to help keep you clutter-free, and do your bit for the environment.

Burn them

If you've got an open fire or a stove, colour-printed cards burn pretty well.

Turn them into gift tags

Simply cut out an attractive part of the design, with blank space on the back. (It could get confusing if it's on a gift to Uncle Fred from you, but says 'all at no25' on the reverse.)

Turn them into baubles

This was a very popular make with our readers in the run-up to Christmas. You can either make them now and keep them until next Christmas, or keep the cards and the instructions and do it nearer the time. Here's how to make baubles from Christmas cards

Use them as bookmarks

If you're not addicted to your Christmas Kindle and still devour traditional books, simply cut strips from areas that are not too Christmassy, and place between pages to keep your place.

Make them into dinner-table place settings

Cut small rectangles on the fold, so they stand up and write on your guests' names. If they're cut from a Christmassy part of the card, keep them for Christmas. If not, use them all year round.