Uses for old christmas cards and wrapping paper?

[falalalalisa]

Would love some ideas, esp for cards. After the kids have played with the wrapping paper its beyond being reused on a gift, but planning on using it as cusioning when putting away the tree ornaments.

Other ideas?

We will be putting cards up and making thankyou cards with them. What we don't use will be recycled.

Take the front of the cards (with the picture on) and use them next year for gift tags. You know the To... From... bit.

Christmas cards go in the scrap paper box for DS to make collages with, or cut up into confetti, or draw on or anytihng else creative he wants to do with them.

I keep the special or sentimental ones though , especially any hand-made ones.

You can buy labels from Friends of the Earth so you can re-use cards next year. Although I don't know anyone who's actually done this ...might seem a bit weird. We re-use as next year's gift tags and make cards for the dc to give to their schoolfriends, cutting up the pictures and sticking on to recycled card. Really like the thank you cards idea,DrN, but all thankyou letters already done for this year's present stash.

i've already cut up the cards for next years tags, wrapping paper was beyond repair so had to go straight in the recycling.

i nearly had a heart attack when MIL (who just wont listen) threw all of it in the bin! paper, card, everything!

my grandmother used to make these tree ornaments

might give it a try for next year

Agree with using cards to make next year's gift tags. I always feel a little miserable after taking the decorations down, but sitting down with a pile of cards and a pair of scissors always makes me feel a little better. I get to look at all the nice messages people have written one more time before I cut out bits of the pictures to make tags. Then next year when the tags come out, I recognise some of the tags, sometimes even remembering "ooh, this one was the card from XXX" and that makes me feel good all over again.

WH Smith and Tesco's are supposed to have recycling bins for Xmas cards from 2-31 Jan. I've saved birthday/etc. cards to put in there, too.

Is the card recycling organised by the supermarkets/shops any better than the normal weekly doorstep collection of paper and card for recycling arranged by our council?

ordinary council recycling can't handle glitter and aluminium, I think.