Actually, I love a white Christmas with plenty of fresh powder covering the ground and trees Christmas morning. What I’m talking about is environmental conservation and how you can incorporate this philosophy into this holiday season.

First of all, it is no secret that a lot of people do a lot of shopping around the holidays. One of the easiest things you can to to be a little “greener” this year is take a reusable shopping bag or two with you for your trips to the mall instead of bringing home a bunch of paper and plastic bags.

Second, consider purchasing a live tree. Doing so will give you the best of both worlds when you purchase a potted evergreen for your Christmas tree. You get the wonderful aroma of pine in your house, yet you aren’t killing a tree. After Christmas, you can plant the tree in your yard or contact your local parks and recreation as they are always looking for new trees. If you can’t plant the tree right away because the ground is frozen, you can water it and keep it alive until you can. Or, plan ahead and dig your hole for the tree now while the ground is still accessible.

Third, consider how you handle gift wrapping your gifts this year, or…lack there of, really. Wrapping paper is a huge waste of trees. Instead, try these creative ideas. reusable grocery bags have become all the rage. You can purchase some bags already decorated, but you can also decorate them yourself with fabric paint and other embellishments such as buttons or beading. When you’re done, you’ll have a creative package that’s reusable too! Baskets are also fabulous because they can be used for storage and organizing after the gift is given. Use natural materials such as rafia, twine and even scraps from your yard to decorate gifts.

Children’s gifts can be wrapped in a new blanket, pajamas or even clothing to keep the gift disguised enough so that they are still surprised when they unwrap it. You can also use some of the cardboard boxes that the gifts came in to package the gifts. Decorate the outside of the boxes with paint or other trimmings.

Finally, we all love to decorate our houses, so do your part to do so in an environmentally friendly way. L.E.D. lighting is available to replace the old energy eating Christmas lights. They may be a bit costly, however, they are brighter so you don’t need as many, and you’ll also save big on your electric bill recapturing that initial cost.

There are also a plethora of decorations at your disposal in your own backyard. Branches and clippings can be dusted with glue and glitter and arranged in your home. You can weave together many yard trimmings and berries and make a beautiful garland or wreath.