The official holiday shopping season starts in only a few days and I cannot believe that stores like Walmart and Target are barely letting the Thanksgiving dinner digest before luring you into their stores to start the Christmas shopping.

But I am not exempt from wanting a good bargain so I will probably be there bleary eyed at 6AM for the ‘Door Busting’ deals with 2 ice teas to help me turbo charge the day.

In the chaos of all of the holiday madness, I want all of us to consider the notion of how we can get a little green in everything we do.

It doesn’t have to be hard or inconvenient but if we all do a little bit we might find we can collectively do a lot to help the planet.

Here are some of the things I am planning to try out this season.

Let me know what you think and please send additional ideas as well:
1. Less Packaging – This is an easy one because not only does it help planet earth, it saves on all the frustration of having to take 30 minutes to open the new Barbie set while your child is crying and wants to get her hands on it. Try Amazon. They have a great initiative to lessen the packaging load www.amazon.com/frustration-free
2. Wrap with Waste – Instead of spending the money to buy expensive wrapping papers, try wrapping gifts with things you might otherwise throw away like newspaper, scrap paper that you might have doodled or drawn on, even old catalogs for small items.
3. E Greet – Consider sending egreetings for you holiday card instead of printed paper ones. I must admit I am still not sure I am going to do this one because I love the tradition of sending out cards but it is something to at least consider.
4. Give Some Simple Green Gifts – Try CFL lightbulbs, a programmable thermostat or even reusable water bottles (they now come in such fun colors and designs).
5. Live – Consider a live Christmas tree you rent. It is delivered to your door, you use it, then return it and it is either replanted or used again the next year.