Dreaming of a Green Christmas: 5 Steps to an Eco-Friendly Holiday

With so much emphasis on tinsel, twinkle lights and toys, it's easy to forget about the environment over the holidays. The treetops can still glisten without driving your power bill to new heights. Follow these five simple steps to achieve a merry--and eco-friendly--Christmas.

1. Scrap the Wrapping Paper
Before you rush out and stock up on shiny wrapping paper at the day-after Christmas sales, consider wrapping your presents in newspapers, magazines and catalogs next year. Choose sports pages for aspiring athletes, the style section for young fashionistas and comics for your favorite funnyman.

2. Send Christmas eCards
While Christmas cards are always fun to receive in the mail, save money on postage and try sending online greetings. Cards can be customized to your choosing with family photos, videos and messages. Both Egreetings and Blue Mountain offer free eCards.

3. Ditch the Paper Plates
Cut down on holiday waste by using glassware and cloth napkins at your holiday party. Paper plates may reduce kitchen clean-up time, but there's no better occasion than Christmas to break out your fine china and silverware. Plus, fancy dinnerware will add some extra pizazz to your table spread.

4. Give Reusable Products
Avoid plastic products this season and share your favorite eco-friendly products with family and friends. Reusable water bottles and coffee mugs make excellent stocking suffers. For the gifts you can't wrap, use reusable shopping bags to conceal pesky presents.

5. Recycle Your Christmas Tree
After removing all the bright lights and shiny ornaments, make sure your tree is properly disposed of. Trees can be cut and placed in green recycle containers or dropped off at a number of parks and fire stations on January 8, 2012.