Christmas is naturally a green season. From the red, gold, and “green” of the season colors, to the “green” of the Christmas trees and holidays wreaths, so why not enhance of the “green” of the season even more.

Here are some tips to enjoy a more “green” or sustainable (definition – Conserving an ecological balance by avoiding depletion of natural resources.) Christmas season.

Choose a LIVE tree.

Potted trees can be replanted in your yard!!

Now immediately you may say, but a “plastic” tree is reusable, not a live tree. Well part of that is true, plastic trees are reusable but so are live trees if you choose a potted tree.  While plastic trees are reusable to begin with, year after year even an expensive plastic tree losing its shape and appearance. Plastic trees consist of PVC (Polyvinyl chloride – or basically plastic that never biodegrades) and uses up manufacturer and shipping resources. When you finally discard that plastic tree, it ends up at a landfill, and just sits there.

With a live tree you have many more options. Growing them contributes to air quality, they are a renewable resource, purchasing locally eliminates a shipping cost, and most are recycled into mulch after Christmas.

Oh and don’t forget the biggest plus of having a live tree . . . they smell so good!!

Reuse/Recycle

Save those gift bags!!! Reuse that wrapping paper!!

Do you and your family exchange some gifts the night before? Did you receive gifts from work and already opened them? Well instead of wrapping everything and setting it under the tree, if you know you’ll be seeing someone later Christmas Day or even after, just wrap the item in a gift bag you already used (they won’t know!!)

Another idea is items using big sheets of wrapping paper, some smaller items can be re-wrapped in the undamaged areas of that paper.  (example –  if you received a microwave and you have a child’s action figure to wrap, unless you ripped the wrapping paper to pieces while opening, it should be enough paper left to wrap the action figure)

Don’t forget, save all those bows, ribbons, boxes, gift bags, and un-used wrapping paper for next year. Used wrapping paper also makes for good filler when packaging items for shipping or moving!

Potted Trees can be reused as well. After Christmas you can choose to replant the tree in your yard or care for it as a potted tree and reuse for next year’s Christmas tree!! Are you a gardener? Well turn that live tree into mulch! Whatever you do, it’s more options to just burning the tree or tossing it to the side of your yard.

LED LED LED

LED lights (Light Emitting Diode) use up to 95% less energy than regular and last up to 100,000 hours when used indoors. “LED holiday lights use .04 watts per bulb, 10 times less than mini bulbs and 100 times less than traditional holiday bulbs. Over a 30-day period, lighting 500 traditional holiday lights will cost you about $18.00 while the same number of LED lights costs only $0.19. As an added bonus, if one of the LED lights burns out the rest of the strand will stay lit.” EarthEasy.com

Remember to cut off your decorations before you go to bed and night and leave the house during the day!

The season is for GIVING not OVERDOING.

Unless you’re in a contest and receiving some kind of cash prize, don’t overdo it with the outdoor decorations.  A small outdoor lighted tree can look so much more attractive, than a gazillion of lights, lighted animals, Santa on a sleigh with his 8 reindeer . . . etc etc etc.

Feeling the need to be creative outside? Decorate a tree for the birds. Yes, the birds! Place seed balls, pine cones with peanut butter, or decorative seed trays on one of your trees. How totally green is that?

Buy Less & Buy Smart

Not all gifts have to be store bought, some of them can be re-gifted or handmade. One way to buy less is utilizing kids art (if you have any children, nieces, nephews, young cousins or grandchildren), send out children’s art as Christmas cards or frame pieces for gifts. Sure store bought, stock cards a beautiful, but sending homemade cards makes it personal!

AND NO re-gifting is NOT tacky. #1 The person receiving it doesn’t know. #2 Its just sitting in your closest collecting dust or #3 You’re ready to throw it out and it’ll just sit in a landfill. Remember when you received 2 coffee makers at your wedding reception? Or that mp3 player you bought but then you decided to get an iPod? RE-GIFT!!!

Giftcards are great and so are service related gifts like a round of golf, massage, pedicure, dinner at a restaurant . . . etc etc etc

Or just get creative and make handmade gifts! Making gift baskets is one way to recycle old baskets and gift boxes!

As you go about your holidays, just remember to be green and celebrate the reason for the season!