What do to with all the Christmas cards

DIY Family Prayer Album

Are you wondering what to do with all the Christmas cards you received this year?

Yesterday was the feast of The Holy Family of Nazareth.  It’s one of my favorite days to celebrate family life. As Christmas cards and pictures of friends and their families roll in through the mail during this season, we get great joy from looking at them together.  We get to see how all the kiddies are growing and take time to tell our little ones their names and stories of our friendship or kinship. Looking at the joy in the faces gives me such encouragement… that through the ups and downs of the year, the commitment to love prevailed and we can give thanks to God for the gift of each other.

Today on the journal we have a tutorial for a quick and simple DIY project. We turn all those beautiful family pictures into a lovely little album that can be used to keep our dear ones remembered in prayer.

GATHER SUPPLIES

All you need is 5 minutes, your pile of cards, scissors and a Dollar Tree photo album. 

Some pretty paper and a prayer card are optional additions!

HOW TO MAKE:

1. Cut out the biggest pictures from the cards and collages
2. (optional) cut pretty paper to size of the album sleeves
3. Fill the album with the pretty paper
4. Center one family photo inside each sleeve
5. (optional) Use a prayer card or another decorated piece of paper for the album cover

USING YOUR ALBUM:

One great way to use your album is to pull it out for evening prayer with your family.  You can offer thanks and special prayers together for the family of the day, asking God to bless them and hear their intentions.  Children love/ need tangible items to connect with what we talk about through their senses (#montessori #catechisisofthegoodshepherd).  They just delight in touching pictures of their little friends and naming the members of the families!

Another way I used to use our album was hanging it by our kitchen sink.  I’d have one family showing for a week or so and would think of and pray for them as I washed the dishes.  A bonus was to reach out to them somehow, with a phone call or text or a little note in the mail to share with them that they were in my thoughts.

Family life is such a rich gift but at times can be so trying and isolating.  Keeping visuals of those in it alongside us (even if living far away) can be such an encouragement to us.

Thanks for visiting us today at the place she made, and joining us in intentional living.  Sign up for free resources and placemaking goodies HERE, and I look forward to connecting with you again soon!

Love,

Serra Ann