Make a Christmas postbox for notes at home
Turn an empty cardboard box into a place for family drawings and notes. Test the slot with a real folded sheet before decorating.
A small postbox at home gives a Christmas drawing somewhere to go. Use an empty cardboard box with a lid or flap you can reopen. The box is for people in your household, so you can decide together when to collect the notes and how to hand them over.
Test the slot before decorating
Fold an ordinary sheet into the size you want to post. An adult marks a wide slot on the box and cuts it, away from the child’s hands. Remove any loose pieces of cardboard and check the cut edges. Keep the lid opening separate: the slot receives notes, while the lid lets you take them out.
Try posting the folded sheet. It should pass through without crumpling or needing a hard push. If it catches, widen the slot before adding drawings. Reopen the lid and retrieve the note as well. A beautiful box is less useful if its first letter cannot get in or come back out.
Give each note a recipient
Decorate the outside with a tree, star or picture of an envelope. You do not need a complicated roof or moving flag. Keep the slot and lid clear of decorations. Choose a place where the box can stand securely and be reached without blocking a doorway.
For the first note, draw something for a person at home. Add their name, or a small picture you both recognize, so the person collecting it knows who should receive it. A real street address is unnecessary for this household game. You can fold the page without using an envelope.
Agree on one collection time
Ask who would like to receive or deliver a note, then choose one occasion to open the box together. It might be after everyone has finished drawing. The collector takes out the notes and hands each one to its recipient. If a picture has no name, ask its maker rather than guessing and delivering it to the wrong person.
The recipient can enjoy the drawing without having to write a reply. Empty the box at the end, or agree to leave it out for another day. Keep the activity a family exchange: it does not need a promise of a reply from Santa or a rule about who has been good. One note that reaches the right person is a complete first delivery.
Our folded note fits the slot: The lid opens for collection: Recipient’s name or agreed picture: Collection time we chose together: The first note reached its recipient:
