If you haven’t sent out holiday cards yet, your family is just in time to celebrate Holiday Card Day on December 9th!
Feeling overwhelmed by the busy holiday season, Sir Henry Cole commissioned the first commercial Christmas card in 1843. Sending the cards to bring cheer to his own family proved so successful that Cole began selling prints of the first official Christmas card for a shilling. Since this historic holiday moment, the tradition of sending cards to friends and family has grown into a booming global industry. The first Hallmark holiday card was published in 1915, however, the most popular Christmas greeting of all time is their 1977 card, “Three Little Angels,” which has sold over 34 million prints! Learn more here.
Sending and receiving mail is a magical, whimsical form of love, especially when a little bit of TLC is involved. Sadly, holiday cards are often treated as a task to check off during this time of year. However, with Holiday Card Day here , it’s time to pause in the midst of the seasonal rush and send a little cheer! This day is the perfect opportunity to create a new tradition for your family and check something off your to-do list, all while spending quality time with the family. So, grab your kiddos and some sparkles, pens, glue, scrap paper and lace—it’s time to get crafty!
Christmas
Provide your child with a piece of paper and a couple of crayons or markers. Allow them to scribble to their heart’s content! Cut different ornaments from their artwork and glue to a folded 5”x7” piece of construction paper. With Elmer’s Glue, draw strings to create the ornament tops. Finish the card by sprinkling sparkles onto glue.
Hanukkah
Print out a small Star of David, cut it out and trace onto a folded 5”x7” piece of cardstock paper. With a X-Acto knife, carefully trace the outlined star until it pops out. Have your child color a piece of paper with various hues of blue or make a collage with blue paper and tissue. Layer their artwork behind the cut-out, and glue the edges down.
Kwanzaa
Fold a black piece of construction paper in half “burger style” and cut along the line. Fold each piece in half to make two regular sized cards. On the creased edge of one card, cut strips down, leaving a centimeter or so before the opposite, open edge. Cut strips of green and red construction paper. Help your child weave the strips into the card, alternating colors each line. Take the second black card from the beginning step and glue to the inside of the woven card, covering up the cuts and woven ends.
Winter Solstice
Pick out various blue and purple markers for your child to color the front of a cardstock card. After the majority of the front is covered, help them gently sprinkle water onto the card. Wait a few seconds and carefully pat with a paper napkin. Cut out a few small snowflakes to layer on top of the background.
Las Posadas
Draw a star on a piece of cardstock paper, and cut it out. Let your child color the ends and middle with a variety of bright colored markers. Let them decorate the star with sprinkles, sequins and bunched up tissue paper. On the back of the star, tape strands of ribbon to each point. Once the star is fully decorated, glue to the front of a 5″x7″ card.
Whether you create your own design, follow a tutorial on Creativebug, let your little pick out foil printed cards or find inspiration here, I truly hope you enjoy celebrating Holiday Card Day with your family! You can also use this day as an extra special reason to send an “I’m thinking of you” card, a “Get well soon!” card or any other greeting that will make someone smile. Creating and writing together builds special memories and provides great opportunities to practice early literacy skills. Happy Holidays!
for many families, including my own. My favorite character as a child was Tootie, played by Margaret O’Brien (who won one of the first Juvenile Academy Awards for the role), the hilariously morbid and anarchic seven-year-old who has funerals for her dolls before burying them in the backyard and who is digging a tunnel into her neighbor’s yard so that she can reach up through the ground and grab her by the leg.
For many, this time of year signifies the beginning of the holiday season—a time for gathering with family and friends, sampling special foods and giving gifts. But for others, especially young children just learning to express themselves, the holidays can be anything but joyful. Excitement is on overdrive, while expectations are high that everyone will get along and be polite. Is it any wonder that the season of holiday cheer often goes hand-in-hand with an increase in stress and anxiety, for both children as well as their adults?
