Green Holiday
Entertaining Tips

Man and woman stringing Christmas tree with popcorn strands.

Green holiday entertaining tips for festive events. Hosting with an earth-friendly focus doesn't mean you must forgo the seasonal fun.

By decorating and entertaining in a festive style, you can do so with a clear conscience. You're not just avoiding contributing to the waste the holiday season generates each year, but you're also taking a responsible step toward a greener future.

Knowing you are lessening your carbon footprint while merrymaking this holiday season might be more fun. These green holiday entertaining tips can help get the party started.

Go Au Natural with These Green Holiday Entertaining Tips

Forget the plastic Santas and other gaudy trim. This year, go au natural with your decorations, help the environment, and extend your holiday budget.

Here are some ideas to get you started:

String popcorn and cranberries to trim the tree. This is going back to basics at its best.

Make paper chains instead of hanging tinsel, which must be removed before a tree can be recycled. (Plus, it can be lethal if consumed by pets.)

Decorate naturally with dried flowers, pine cones, felt, leaves, photographs, last year's ribbons, yarn, drawings, shells, sand dollars, and edibles such as candy canes.

If you do buy ornaments, choose those made of recycled metal, glass, or paper.

Trim your home naturally: Create decorations and centerpieces of pinecones, dried flowers, and other natural materials.

For outdoor lighting, look for light strands with parallel wiring. These have separate circuitry so that if one bulb goes out, the rest will keep shining; all you need to do is replace the bulb.

Choose smaller bulbs with lower wattage. They are cheaper, consume less electricity, and are safer because they give off less heat.

Use timers for all your seasonal lighting for energy savings.

Green Holiday Entertaining Tips

When shopping for holiday merrymaking, select items with the least packaging and buy only what you'll use this year. The goal is to ensure your entertaining efforts use the least amount possible of items in our landfills.

Call your local recycling company to find out which materials are accepted for recycling in your community. Not all facilities recycle all materials, even those marked "recyclable."

For example, gift wraps, cards, and cardboard boxes with special finishes cannot be recycled because they release potentially dangerous fumes when burned.

Here are a few other ways you can make a difference this holiday season:

For green holiday entertaining deck the halls with holiday plants instead of store-bought decor.

Party invitations: Send a postcard or buy cards made of recycled paper for invitations to a party. Better yet, e-mail or call.

Decorate with plants: Deck the halls with holiday plants (keep them healthy with this Christmas plant care guide) instead of traditional store-bought decor.

Use washable plates and utensils. Don't opt for the more convenient but more waste-generating disposable plates and utensils for your party.

Rent or borrow punch bowls or large platters. Consider renting or borrowing items such as punch bowls or large platters. Or invest in these dishes with a neighbor and share them.

Recycle. Set up a prominent area with containers for recycling bottles, cans, and paper.

The party's over... Once the party is over, compost the edible leftovers and give your yard a holiday treat. In addition to improving the soil structure, texture, and aeration, compost increases the soil's water-holding capacity.

Good compost ingredients include fruit and vegetable trimmings, flowers, and coffee grounds. No-nos include meat, fish, poultry, and dairy products, which might attract wildlife.

Green Holiday Entertaining Tips to Wrap Up

Many retailers stock environmentally friendly gifts, wraps, and trimmings.

One ecological and budget-friendly way to wrap gifts is to use recycled or recyclable materials already in our homes, such as newspaper funny pages, cloth napkins, or scarves. Other ideas include:

Arrange a gardener's tools in an apron pocket, neatly tied with twine in a planter box.

Wrap a traveler's gift in old street or city maps.

Use a colorful tablecloth to wrap dishes or dining room gifts.

Kids get a kick out of opening individually wrapped presents. Still, for an adult's gift, you can minimize the packaging by wrapping it all in a single reusable box or using last year's leftover wrapping and bows.

If you send greeting cards, choose recyclable ones or postcards. Or, buy cards from local organizations that benefit good causes.

You can save the cards you receive, cut them up, and reuse them next year as gift tags. They're also a good resource for kiddie art projects.