Before you decide which way you're going to make homemade greetings, check into whether or not you can buy envelopes of a size that is suitable, or you may find yourself having to make those as well, and they're a far trickier proposition.

In the "old days", cards were multi-fold items, and not just the left and right sides that we see now. You can return to a more elegant time, and with relatively little expense, by creating Christmas cards from card stock paper, sheets of imitation sheepskin paper or for the children, construction paper. Simply fold the paper in half, vertically, and then horizontally. On a standard sheet of 8.5 x 11" paper, you'll end up with a multi-fold card that is approximately 4" x 5".

Anyone skilled in calligraphy is way ahead of the game. Hand printing is fine, but you can also buy programs for the computer, which will print your cover greeting and inside text, on the right quarters of a single sheet of paper run through your printer.

Of course, you can also use commercial graphics or even your own photos to print your cards, providing you have a color ink cartridge, and the photos or graphics used are of high enough resolution to print a clear image. Always try one before setting the machine up to print your entire card list.

Again, if you want to go back to the old days, especially for children, recycle cards you have got in the past, by cutting out a wreath, Santa, tree, or other main figure, and pasting it on the front of your card. After the text and lettering is done, you can add an extra sparkle, by drawing stars or just swirls with a bottle of glue, and scattering fine metallic glitter over the surface. Let dry, and shake off the extra sparkle on a sheet of paper, to be used on the next card.