Holiday cards with LEDs

If you enjoy tinkering with your kids or on your own, here are some ideas to light-up your self-made holiday cards. You will need some LEDs, copper tape and a CR2032 cell battery.

I like to use axial LEDs because they are small and flat, so the card will not look bulky. Also you don’t have to bend their legs to tape them on the card 🙂

There are also very flat LEDs on sticker form from Chibitronics. These come already with a resistor connected in series:

There are two types of copper tape: conductive on one side or conductive on both sides. Both look the same, read the description. If you get the first one, you will have to be aware of the side where you are taping the LEDs and the battery.

Make your design. On an additional sheet mark the spot where the LED should go and the rest of the circuit. If you want a „switch“, leave your circuit open and add the conductive copper tape on the other side, so that it will glow only when you press that spot:

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Here is how the card will look like when you press that „switch“:

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Here is another example without a switch, using an LED from Chibitronics:

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This card will always be glowing without pressing on it:

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If you have relatives or friends who celebrate Hanukkah:

or Kwanzaa:

Happy holidays!!