Here are some wonderful ways to green your festivities by starting a few planet friendly holiday traditions this year.

Here are five ideas to get you started:

1. Wrap it up. Think outside the wrapping paper aisle! Reuse old paper or make your own keepsake pieces with stamps and other art supplies. Borrow from Japanese culture and create a furoshiki, or traditional Japanese wrapping cloth – a beautiful scarf or embroidered towel can make a stunning and reusable gift wrap.

This article appears in Nov 25 – Dec 1, 2009.