Easy to Do Yourself Christmas Place Cards

If you are having a Christmas party you know that it is very important to set the table perfectly. Make sure you have the food cooked to perfection and the glasses should be overflowing with great cheer. There is also another detailed item you need to have for this Christmas party and that is seating. Putting Aunt Claude next to Uncle Matt may be a bad idea in the long run considering they quit talking to each other 10 years ago. To avoid any tension, or to maybe lessen it a little bit, adding place cards and predetermine the seating arrangements will help a great deal. Adding a personal touch to those place cards would make the Christmas party even better, because then people will see you took the time and effort to make this party very special. However, your crafting ability may not be on the up and up and that is why you searched this topic. I am so glad you found this article because I have some great ideas on how you can create your own Christmas place cards.

Christmas Place Card #1
Mini-Presents
If you are in Walmart and strolling down the gift wrapping paper isle you will come across little tiny gift boxes that are used for either gift cards or even small jewelry. These little gift boxes come pre-decorated and make for a great place card idea. Purchase as many as you will need (the amount of people who will be attending your party). You may have to purchase them separately, however some stores do carry these three to six to a set. Now if you do buy them pre-decorated, already wrapped, then that will cut down on what you have to do, however, if you buy the plain, white boxes then you will need to wrap them with gift wrap of your choice, just make sure it is Christmas wrapping paper.

Now, even if you do buy them pre-wrapped, you will want to add ribbon. Pick out a matching color ribbon and cut it into two separate pieces. One piece will be wrapped around the length of the box and the other will be wrapped around the width. At one point these two ribbon pieces will cross and you will want that to occur on the front of the box. Next buy name tags (the ones that you use to mark presents with) that do not have the self-adhesive strip or sticker kind. You want the kind that you will have to use your own tape. On the To: section place the persons name. On the From: section place your family's last name. Tuck one corner of the name tag at the section where the two ribbons crossed. Make sure you pick a name tag that is not going to be extremely big on the little present. If you need extra security of the name tag, add a little tape behind it to tape onto the box. Either lay the present down flat on the table or even the plate, or you can set it up on the bottom to where it stands so the present will be facing the person who is sitting there.

Christmas Place Card #2
Photo
Of course you are inviting these people to your party because they have some significant meaning in your life. I am sure you are not inviting a total stranger that you have never met. With that said, these people all are close to you in some sort of way. Either find a picture of them with you, or your whole family. If you do not have a picture of them, then make sure you take one as soon as possible so you can create this great place card idea.

The photo can be no larger then a 4x6. Get red, green, white, construction paper at your local craft store, or Walmart, Cut out a one inch strip of paper, width wise, four times. Only covering up a small amount of the photo, place each construction strip around the photo and cut off any access. You will create a frame with this. Either glue or tape the construction paper to the photo. At the top of the photo, on the construction paper, pop a whole in the center of the paper using a whole punch. String in some red, green or white yarn through the hole. Make sure the string is only around 6 inches. Tie the string together. Place the place card onto the place. Do not write his or her name, because this way the will have to go around looking at all the pictures. The one that they are in will be the seat they are suppose to be sitting at. To top it off, this photo has now become a gift ornament they can take home! If you will miss this picture make sure you have a copy of it before giving it away.

Christmas Place Card #3
Candy Cane
This idea may have been used in the past; however it is one of my favorite ones that I use alot. I take two candy canes. Sometimes I get the original red and white stripe, however, with all the different candy canes out there, I try to get ones that match my dishes and setting. For example, last year I bought new place mats that had very bold and bright Christmas colors. I bought the candy canes that Starburst made because they were all different colored stripes that stood out! You pick the candy cane colors that will suit your taste.

Now, like I said, make sure you have two candy canes. Do not unwrap them. Cross them in the middle and have the hooks meet as a heart. Take a small rubber band and wrap it around the candy canes at the point where they crossed. The smaller rubber bands will be like rubber bands they use on braces. You can find these specialty rubber bands at any local craft store. Try to get the color that will match the ribbon you will be using in the next step. It will make the rubber band camouflaged in case it shows a little.

Next take ribbons that will match your candy canes. If you are using white and red candy canes, then use white and red ribbons. If you are using a candy cane that has yellow, red, green, blue and all sorts of colors in it, then try to pick two, no more then 3 of your favorite color the candy cane has. Tie the ribbons separately around the rubber band. Make sure the length of the ribbon you are using is around 6 to 8 inches. After you have the ribbons tied, take the scissors and curl the ribbons.Now add one more ribbon strip around the candy canes. Do not curl this string.

Buy some red construction paper and cut out place cards in the size of 2 inches by 3 inches. Take a hole puncher and place a hole in the top right corner of the card. On one side of the card write the persons name, on the other side of the card, get a elegant letter stamp, one that is the first letter of the last name of your family. For example, my family's last name is Stepp, so I would use the letter S. Your local craft store, or Walmart have a variety of stamps in different sizes and styles for the font. Pick on that will fit on your card and one that you enjoy.

Take the strip of ribbon we did not curl and put one end through the hole in the card. Now, make sure the front of the card has your letter stamped on it and showing. Tie the ribbon ends together and place the candy canes onto the plate. The people will need to search for their names, however the elegance of your initial stamped on the front is what makes this ordinary place card stand out.