I'm Dreaming of a Green Christmas?

Being good stewards of our environment is the responsibility of everyone - paticulary if you are a Christian. Not only that, a 'green' Christmas can also be a less expensive Christmas! Here's some suggestions that I got in my email box - many which we already do. #4 is pretty challenging when you have 20 guests at the house...

1. If you put up Christmas lights, choose energy-efficient LED lights and turn them off during the day. While a 50-bulb incandescent strand of Christmas lights uses 250 watts, an equivalent 70-bulb LED strand uses only three watts. Turn the lights off at night.
2. When shopping for gifts and groceries, bring along a canvas bag to carry your purchases and try to choose items that have little or no packaging.
3. Wrap gifts in recyclable wrapping paper or use reusable gift bags or wrap in the comics section or regular newspaper.
4. If you’re hosting or organizing a holiday party, use cloth napkins and glass plates. Avoid using disposable napkins, plates and cutlery.
5. After the holidays, reuse gift boxes, packaging and wrapping paper when possible, and recycle what cannot be reused – contact your local government to find out what items are acceptable in your blue box program.