(Photo courtesy of Donna Erickson)

Now that the first white Advent candle is lit on our fresh pine wreath, strings of shimmering mini lights frame our kitchen window and a flurry of Christmas cards outnumbers the junk mail in our mailbox, I can genuinely sing, "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas ... ."

Those holiday cards in multicolored envelopes arrive from a hodgepodge of senders — from new business associates to old friends and relatives living in far-flung places. Receiving personalized pieces of mail feels like an old-fashioned gesture in this digital age, and that is why I appreciate them more and more. While sending holiday greetings via e-mail is "green," and certainly a thrifty approach, there is something about a handmade card or handwritten greeting that pleases, as if it were a special holiday gem chosen especially for me.

Over the years, the kids and I have taped our Christmas cards to doorways or tossed them in a big bowl on the dining-room table as they arrived. But they didn't get the attention "gems" deserve.

Then, I tried something new that has proven to be a household hit. I started a simple holiday card scrapbook tradition.

I bought an inexpensive standard-style scrapbook with big, plain pages at a discount store. Then, I tied a 20-inch length of ribbon to the top of the spiral binding and attached a roll of double-sided tape to the opposite end of the ribbon so it would always be handy, dangling along the side.

As cards arrived, I slapped

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a strip of tape on the backside of the card and immediately stuck it onto a page in the scrapbook. Tiny cards, big cards, photo cards and postcards — every kind of card landed in the book in minutes.

I glued our family Christmas photo card on the cover and attached a large envelope for storing "annual holiday letters" on the inside of the back cover. I set aside the first two pages for invitations to Christmas parties, open houses in the neighborhood and ticket stubs from concerts and plays.

During the holidays, I leave our in-progress "coffee-table book" out for all ages to thumb through at their leisure. They don't miss a page. Plus, it's a great conversation starter as we talk about memories of old friends or share details of their new adventures.

Now, lined up in a neat row in our bookcase with a bit of space left for a new 2009 edition, five bulging scrapbooks have become family holiday reference books we find ourselves rereading again and again.

Donna Erickson's award-winning television series, "Donna's Day," is airing on public television nationwide. Watch it in the Twin Cities at 7:30 a.m. Fridays on tptLife on channels 13 and 17. Sign up for Donna's e-newsletter at donnasday.com. Her latest book is "Donna Erickson's Fabulous Funstuff for Families."