Going green does not have to relate only to the inside and outside of your home. This holiday season, why not try some different options to go green? If you want to make a change for the better, green living during the Christmas holiday or an eco-friendly Thanksgiving is the perfect solution to go green during the holidays.

There are many holidays during the fall and winter season. This is a time of joy, peace, family and friends. Needless to say, there will be lots of activity and plenty of purchasing. Why not make it a time to go and stay green, as well? Perhaps you have not done too much in the way of going green for your home or family. Why not get the whole family in on the fun and have them start a new “going green for the holiday” tradition. Here are a few ways of doing so.

Wrap it up

Have a family brainstorming meeting and see who can come up with the most creative way to wrap presents while saving the environment. Think old school such as wrapping in Sunday comic style or brown paper bags that are decorated with stenciling. Reusable gift bags with no writing on the tags is a good way to offer a gift, as well. What about giving gifts that don’t need wrapping? How about offering some baked goodies or treats for holiday gift giving ideas? If you have younger children, you can also have them draw on plain paper and use their drawings to make memorable gift wrapping packages.

Recycle and Reuse Paper Goods

One of the best ways to serve your holiday guests is with products made from recyclable paper. While they may never know the difference, you and your children can feel good about knowing that you are doing your part. It will also make clean up less difficult for them. Toss everything into the recycle bin and it’s a done deal.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="550"] Recycled christmas trees[/caption]

Carpool

While carpooling is the last thing on your mind during school and holiday breaks, you may want to reconsider that thought. If you are doing holiday shopping and you know your neighbor or an elder needs to go, why not get a group together and go food shopping or holiday shopping together? This idea of carpooling even works wonders for travel plans. If you are having a family reunion of sorts, why not make plans to carpool then, as well.

Festive Lights

If you are going to display holiday lights this year, why not use LED lights instead of traditional Christmas lights. Don’t forget to use a timer so that the lights come on when it is dark and go off as you go to sleep.

These are just a few simple ways to keep the green this holiday season. If you liked this article, share it! Perhaps it can be useful for other people too. And if you have other tips on how to go green, you can share them using the hashtag #Change4Better!