What Do You Do With Pictures of Other People's Kids?by Michele Cheplic | More from this Blogger 12 Dec 2008 11:09 PM It's that time of year again... time for your mail carrier to put on the weightbelt as she lugs batches of holiday greetings from around the world and crams them into your mailbox. As I mentioned in a previous blog, I thoroughly enjoy getting Christmas correspondences (even the ubiquitous four-page family newsletters packed with pertinent personal details like the fact that Susie lost her front tooth in August, Sam was successfully potty-trained in May, and Rover dragged a skunk home on Halloween). What's more, any of these holiday greetings include adorable pictures of family and friend's darling children (some of who are much more darling in pictures than in person). While getting these festive (and sometimes expensive) reminders that someone is thinking of you is flattering, figuring out exactly what to do with the deluge of cards and pictures can be a problem. After all, what kind of Grinch is heartless enough to toss a picture-perfect glossy snapshot of his cousin's kid? Then again, there are only so many picture cards a mantel can accommodate. After about the 50th greeting I start taping them around a doorframe. The first 49 get the honor of being affixed to my elegant wire cardholder designed in the shape of a Christmas tree that I picked up at an after-Christmas sale at Target a couple of years ago. Might I add that the box said the cardholder could hold up to 24 cards, yet I found a way to cram more than double that on the sturdy metal frame. If you only receive a handful of Christmas cards each year, then obviously you are too unpopular to even deal with the dilemma of what to do with your card collection when the holidays are over. But, for you others out there: Do you dump them, preserve the pictures in a special photo album, or just cram them in a Ziploc bag and store them in a closet? As a parent I don't have the heart to throw them out, namely because I can't imagine having someone do the same to the snapshots I send out each year of my precious offspring dressed in her holiday finest. What do you do with the stacks of holiday greetings and pictures you receive this time of year? Related Articles: Holidays and Family Dysfunction Santa vs. Generous Grandparents Keeping Your Kids Safe During the Holidays Hey Moms... What's On Your Christmas Wish List? Moms Sacrifice for Kids During the Holidays Who's In Your Christmas Card Photo? The Annual Holiday Family Newsletter-Yea or Nay? Family Holiday Viewing Traditions Holiday Family Bonding Around the TV What Kind of Parents Take Their Kids Shopping on Black Friday? Tales from the Holiday Kids' Table Countdown to Christmas: The Letter to Santa My Daughter's Very Merry Christmas Eve Learn more about Michele Cheplic  Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism. Relevantparenting tags User Comments  drnewmom (307) 13 Dec 2008 08:03 AMI'll admit it, I'm a card (and picture) hoarder. Christmas cards get taped to the front door. Other cards/pics get tucked into the "chair rail" made of rope that divides the woodwork from the wallpaper. When I take them down, they go into a pile and then eventually make their way into a box in my storage room. I have pulled them out from time to time when I need a smile, or if I am in the storage room procrastinating. Starrlight (5255) 13 Dec 2008 02:23 PMI keep the cards we receive each holiday season in a box for use next year (I then will pull them out to make our holiday card list from). The pictures we get our of kids/families we are close with, so I save them. Some will go into scrapbooks in the holiday sections, others will just get filed with other photos and a few rare ones will get put into a multi-picture frame.  Nicole Humphrey (15757) 14 Dec 2008 10:56 AMMichele, great article. I have that same Christmas tree metal frame and you're right, you can cram or fit more on it if you just try. I like your ideas and will probably incorporate them. I am blessed however, because most of the people we get pictures from are actually people we are proud to display LOL Now my mom on the other hand gets dozens of kids she doesn't even really know. LOL  Michele Cheplic |
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