With Thanksgiving over, the first Christmas Cards are probably on their way to your mailboxes and you may be wondering how to display them, beyond the usual putting them in a pretty basket on the countertop.

I remember my father hanging a pretty wide satin ribbon on the wall and pinning the cards to the ribbon; some years he draped the ribbon into scallops.  You can make space on your walls by removing a piece or artwork or pictures and outlining the shape of a fir tree on the wall with colored string or thin ribbon and pins to hold the shape and hang the cards as ornaments.  Any shape will do, just keep it simple, remembering that the cards are the star..

If you live in a building with an inside entrance, you might put the cards on the outside of your door, so that your arriving guests will have the enjoyment of looking at your cards while waiting for you to answer the door bell.  Cards arranged around a large mirror in an entry way is another warm greeting for your guests.

Over the years I've received some works of art; Christmas cards and haven;t been able to part with them so I;ve framed them and put them up each year as part of my holiday decor.  You might find that over the years you will have collected a theme; of cards you love and can frame them all similarly and make a small vignette on a table top or wall to enjoy each year.

Enjoying your cards is as much fun as receiving them; and don't forget you can recycle them by taking them to hospitals and nursing homes, where the residents can give them new life with a craft project.