Jingle Bells Christmas Card Display

By Kate Riley December 9, 2009

We love to send them, we love to receive them.  Christmas cards are just one of those holiday rituals that some dread, some cherish, yet we all must decide how to display them every year.  Years ago, I used to apply some double sided tape on the back of the cards I received and I would secure them to a door.  Back in 2006, I bought one of those Christmas card display trees on sale from Pottery Barn – that worked fine too.

This year, I wanted to do something more creative, more unexpected.  When I ordered a new chandelier from Ballard Designs for my home office, it came with some extra chain that I never used.

My daughter tried to convince me to make her a Marley costume.  I decided it was better put to use as a tool to display some Christmas cards in front of my window.

hanging from office window

Originally, I decided to just use white paper clips.

chain with paper clips

Then I saw an image on Better Homes & Gardens that convinced me to use little jingle bells instead.  That tiny crevice is the perfect size slot for holding and displaying a holiday card.

How clever – thanks for this idea BH&G !

jingle bell from afar copy

See what I mean about the perfect size opening for a card ?

jingle bell holder copy

Here they are, strung up in our window, with some ornaments also on display.

card display from right

Then I went surfing and found a few other clever and crafty ways to display holiday cards.

On festive ribbons, secured to a door

christmas card display country living Country Living

 

Inside a beautifully framed memo board

house and home.com picture displayHouseandHome.com

On canvas or tacked to a memo board

christmas card display domino Domino

Here’s an advent calendar, but you can imagine the same result with cards on display

country living advent in window Country Living

A trellis makes a fabulous host for your cards

bhg holiday card display Better Homes & Gardens

Wedge cards inside some large upside down bells

bhg jingle bells card display Better Homes & Gardens

Strung along your staircase or suspended on seasonal ribbons

martha staircase and ribbon display Martha Stewart

A painted ladder makes another charming support for your cards

painted ladder card display bhg Better Homes & Gardens

Yet another ladder idea

cherry picking ladder display coastal livingImage: Coastal Living

Attached to a homemade wreath created with burlap upholstery webbing

wreath christmas card display bhg Image: Better Homes & Gardens

Another version of a picture frame display and also suspended from white clothespins

martha card display duoMartha Stewart

Floral frogs. . .  how clever ! 

vintage combs country living Image: Better Homes & Gardens

Branches and ribbon are all you need for this display

greetings tree martha Martha Stewart

Suspend them from coiled wire

spiral window bhg display Image: Better Homes & Gardens

You can even use the cards from last year to create your own cutouts

last years cards garland bhg  Better Homes & Gardens

What about you ?  How do you display your holiday cards ?  Seen or heard of any other creative ideas for displaying Christmas cards ?

.

40 comments

  1. Thank you for this post Centsational One. :-)

    Talk about thoughts of nostalgia and thoughts of Christmas past, I remember so vividly my late mother’s annual ritual of displaying greeting cards received in years gone by. They became a part of the holiday decor as soon as the lights and tree went up. She lined them up on the fireplace mantel, stood them on end of tabletops and taped them around the large opening between the living and dining rooms.

    You brought back some wonderful memories with this one. Thanks again and have a wonderful weekend.

    Shannon

  2. WOW….so MANY great ideas! THANK YOU for doing all the picture/idea searching and sharing…very excited to try one, just can’t decide which one. I love them ALL. :)

    Have a wonderful day!

    Steph

  3. LOVE the idea for hanging cards from jingle bells. It’s one of those ideas that is a “duh! why haven’t we thought of that before?!?!” ha. Thanks for sharing! (Love your blog!) :o)

  4. I love the way that you have displayed them. I had already seen the one from Country Living with the ribbon on the door. That is my favorite one.

    I subscribe to BH&G and I missed the jungle bell idea. Very clever.

  5. I love what you’ve done with yours…the bell idea is brilliant. I also like the added ornaments. There are some wonderful ideas shown here. I’ve done various things through the years. Most recently, simply putting them in a Christmas basket. I need to get more creative.

  6. Thanks for the ideas! I NEVER know what to do with my Christmas cards, so they always end up in a pile every year. I love the ones strung down the stairs… I may have to do that this year.

  7. I’ve been looking for a way to display holiday cards, I love the ribbon solution – I’m going to have to try that!

  8. I love the jingle bell idea. It looks great. We have ours displayed on 3 small trellis this year. I try to do something different every year. Maybe I’ll have to try the jingle bells next year. Have a beautiful weekend.

  9. We haven’t received as many cards this year as we normally do…I think a lot of people are cutting back. :( I’m planning on doing ours tonight. :) I love ALL of the ideas you featured today, and I like how you also hung some ornaments with your “Marley garland.” ;)

  10. I hang ribbons every year for our cards and was going to post that as my Christmas tip on Monday! Shoot. Now I have to find something else… It really is so easy, cheap, big impact, and we get tons of compliments every year.

  11. I like your chain and jingle bells. But mostly I’m impressed that your daughter would ask for a Marley costume. Now that’s creative!

    Thanks so much for sharing your beautiful home with us. Christmas decor is meant for sharing, isn’t it?

  12. There are many great ideas here- thank you for sharing them! I seem to do something different every year. My sister has her tradition of attaching them to the trim around her dining room entryway. When you walk in her home, you see them all there and it is such a wonderful display.

    I’m new to your blog and have so enjoyed your “centsational” ideas!

  13. Question: are those vintage combs or flower frogs? Either one would work. Love your jingle bells. You will always know when someone is peeking at your cards, that’s for sure. Happy holidays.

  14. Sorry for the above question. I hadn’t refreshed my computer and didn’t see that you had made the correction.

  15. I love the jingle bells holding the cards – very cute!!
    I use a sleigh to hold all our cards – I kind of like them being contained in one spot and not having to worry about my boys somehow pulling a fancy card display down :) Maybe next year I will try the bells tho!

    I was wondering if you could feature some of your favorite ornaments from the “party” you hosted? I visited some, but not all, participants and would looooove to see a “highlighted” list of the ones you loved that aren’t to be missed!!

  16. I love what you did with the bells! How very clever of BH&G and you. The other ideas are very inspiring also. I made a “Trellis Christmas Tree” this year out of an old garden trellis turned upside down. I chose to put framed images of vintage children on mine. But you could also use cards. Love unusual ideas!
    Brenda

  17. I wanna know what happens when Martha Stewart receives a Christmas card that isn’t in keeping with her blue colour scheme. Where does THAT card go? Hmmm? Is there a “reject” drawer? Or does she prevent such a catastrophe occurring from the outset with a memo to all her kin and friends advising them of what’s “in” that year? “This year BLUE is the new orange, people”.

    P.S. I know, it’s probably just staging for the shot, but I’d prefer to pretend it’s not.

  18. Your timing is perfect. I was just thinking that I need to find a better way to display my cards and thanks to you, I have lots of great ideas. I love your blog – it’s one of my favorite stops.

  19. I really love this idea of the jingle bells! I just took down alll our baby shower cards, and realized I like the clean look on my shelf better than one jumbled with cards. I just linked to this post from my blog. We’re not doing a tree this year, and the jingle bells will be a perfect way to bring some of the cheer to other parts of the house. Also, love the foyer decorations! The rainy bay area weather has made this a perfect weekend to get projects done, hmm?

  20. Can you believe I was at Michaels today looking specifically at the bags of jingle bells and thinking, “I should just pick up a bag . . . I’m sure I can figure out a creative way to use them for something . . ” AND I DIDN’T? I love this idea!

  21. I’ve got some of that chain, too! Left over from my colander light. I’ve been trying to think of a cute way to display our Christmas cards. Now to find a place to hang the chain up! :)

  22. I know I’m a bit ‘late’ putting my comment here. I just found your site two days ago and have been devouring it. :) Here is my idea for card display. I put them into my Christmas Tree! When I receive a card I take it straight to the tree and decorate with the cards. It works pretty well if you plan for that space.

  23. Really creative idea! This brings a whole new meaning to “stringing” your Christmas cards. Every year my mother and I would string all of the cards, and drape them along the banaster. When guests would come for our Christmas party, they would find entertainment in searching for their card.

Leave a comment!

Keep the conversation going! Your email address will not be published.*

*

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Lately on Instagram (@centsationalstyle)