It is now nearing the end of January and sadly all traces of Christmas seem to have disappeared. Now I have been called Queen of Christmas. I love it. No moaning about it from this neck of the woods and if any high street store feels the need to start decorating in July then I am all for it. However, when the twelve days of Christmas are over and the decorations (sob) are put back into their boxes I do have a crisis of conscience when I take a look at the cards I have been sent. Of course, like many hoarders I keep a Special Pile - World’s Best Auntie (naturally), Most Wonderful Daughter (of course), Dearest Pumpkin (have tried to re-educate other half but he insists I am not of the Princess or Sweet Pea variety). The remaining cards, the Non-Special ones, always fill me with a sense of guilt at the thought of throwing them away. Double-edged guilt at that.

On the one edge there is the ‘green’ issue which has fortunately been resolved of late by a certain supermarket offering to take them off my hands and recycle them. But the other edge bothered me too – the fact that someone had taken the time to actually send me a card but with all the best intentions in the world between wrapping socks and planning menus, it merely elicits an “Aww, that’s nice. From Auntie Sue.” as it is waved it in front of generally disinterested other half. It is then left to dangle disconsolately on a length of string for a couple of weeks, in the full knowledge it will never make the Special Pile.

Well this year, on the eve of the Feast of the Epiphany I experienced one … an epiphany that is. It dawned on me that I could indeed recycle the sentiments of the Non-Special cards, if I took the first bite of the recycling cherry. So this weekend, armed with scissors, punches and tweezers I will be dismantling the cards. Any 3D toppers will be carefully pulled off, gold, silver or glittery pieces of card will be punched out in the shape of stars, bells and trees and all the beautiful embossed or gilded words carefully cut out as little banners. So not only am I feeling all up-to-date with my green credentials; not only do I have a gorgeous little selection of festive bits and pieces ready to be re-applied to my own Christmas card designs next year; I also have a warm, gooey feeling inside knowing that lots of little bits of love I received in 2006 will be forwarded to family and friends in 2007. And you never know, second time around one of them might just make it into a Special Pile.