Each year at Christmas we hope everyone is heartily wishing "goodwill to all men,'' but maybe this year we could also spare a little good will for the environment.

It's easy to forget, amidst all the hustle and bustle of holiday preparations that this is one holiday that is awfully hard on the environment. Our BELCO bills jump as we use up the extra electricity necessary to power all those twinkly lights; we import thousands of evergreens for Christmas trees and then just throw them away after the holiday. The most obvious problem, however, is trash -- Christmas leaves in its wake tons of crumpled wrapping paper, bundles of virtually unused shopping bags and non-biodegradable decorative items like tinsel.

There are lots of things you can do to make your Christmas more environmentally friendly -- and many of them can even add fun and colour to your holiday.

Gift wrapping is one of the most wasteful things we do each year. Few of us have the time or the presence of mind to save each little bit of shiny paper, carefully smooth and fold it and put it away until next year. Here are a few ecologically-minded alternatives for gift packaging this year: Recycle old magazines and newspapers as wrapping paper. The weekend comics make particularly colourful wrap for kids' gifts. Old maps or posters also make fun gift wrap, especially if they are used to give the gift a theme -- wrap an atlas with a map.

Save your children's artwork. Their paintings and drawings make wonderful, unusual gift wrap, and they will be thrilled to see their work under the tree.

Get their approval first, however! If you have a difficult package to wrap, why not wrap it in another gift? Bundle it up in a scarf, a Christmas hand towel, a pretty table napkin or a handkerchief, and tie it with a piece of ribbon. an infant's gift could be wrapped in a receiving blanket or hooded towel.

Make pretty cloth bags out of Christmassy fabric, with drawstring tops, that can be used over again year after year.

Re-use brown paper grocery bags as wrapping paper -- enlist the kids to draw and paint Christmas scenes on them first.

Use decorative shoelaces or hair ribbons to tie packages instead of paper or plastic ribbon that has no use after the holidays.

If you are packing up something to mail abroad, use less plastic bubble wrap and styrofoam peanuts by using air-popped popcorn (without salt or butter!) to pack your gift and protect if from bumps.

When Christmas shopping, try not to take any more shopping bags from the stores than you absolutely need.

Another way you can make your Christmas more environmentally-friendly is by putting decorations on a live, potted tree instead of on a cut tree this year.

Local plant nurseries sell a variety of large potted plants, including Bermuda cedars, that make beautiful Christmas trees, and they can be planted after Christmas so you can enjoy them for many years to come. Even an artificial tree is better than a live tree, as it can be used over and over again.

Don't leave the tree lights on overnight, or if you go out. Not only is this a fire hazard, it uses up electricity unnecessarily.

Get your children to make ornaments for the tree -- supply them with cardboard, cookie cutters for tracing shapes, paints, glitter, old ribbons and pieces of tin foil and you'll be amazed at how creative your Christmas decorating will be this year! Don't throw old decorations away. Let the kids have a small (potted) tree for their own bedroom and give them the old Christmas balls and decorations for their own unique display.

Tinsel is not only an ecological no-no, it is actually quite dangerous if swallowed by a child or pet. Instead, make your tree sparkle with shiny garlands that can be used again next year.

What you give at Christmas can also make an impact on the environment, and here are a few "green'' ideas for gift-giving: Potted flowers and plants for the garden.

Low-flow shower heads and energy-saving light bulbs.

A blue bird box.

A solar-powered calculator.

Cloth shopping bags.

Cloth napkins and rings.

Books that focus on nature, and the environment.

Membership in an organisation working to preserve and protect the environment, such as the Bermuda National Trust, the Bermuda Maritime Museum or the Bermuda Zoological Society (BZS).

BZS also offers an adopt-a-whale programme that helps to protect some of the world's largest inhabitants. Doing some Christmas shopping at the excellent gift shops operated by these organisations also helps to support their work.

When you're getting ready for Christmas, you're bound to collect up a bunch of items like used toys, clothes, books and knick-knacks that you really need to get rid of in order to make room for all the new things that are going to fill your home over the holidays. Don't throw away your old stuff, if it is still in good condition. Donate it. Organisations such as the Salvation Army, the Barn and the Bargain Box might just be able to turn those items into profits.

The holiday season sends many people into a cleaning frenzy as they prepare for parties, house guests and unexpected visitors who "drop by.'' Instead of using a variety of toxic chemicals to clean your home consider protecting the earth by using natural cleaners that actually do a great job.

Vinegar can be used as in the clothes washer (a quarter cup in the final rinse) to revive colours, and it will also de-scale your kettle or iron. Use a solution that is one part vinegar and two parts water -- boil it in the kettle, or pour it into the iron, allowing to stand for 30 minutes. Rinse thoroughly in either case. The exteriors of your appliances will come up niceand shiny if you clean them with a solution of one part vinegar to four parts water. A coffee maker can be cleaned by pouring a solution of equal parts water and vinegar into the reservoir. Run it through the brew cycle, then rinse by running just water through the cycle. If you use your coffee maker regularly, it should be cleaned like this once a month.

Baking soda is also a marvellous natural cleaner that works wonders around the house. You can use it to soften and freshen clothes by adding a quarter-cup as you add the clothes to the washer. Or clean the tea or coffee spots off your cups with jut a little baking soda. Use it to polish your silverwear by sprinkling baking soda on a damp cloth and rubbing it into the silver until it shines. Rinse until clean and polish dry.

Use a solution of a tablespoon of baking soda in four cups of warm water to wipe up spills inside your refrigerator, deodorising it at the same time. Keep drains clear by thoroughly mixing together four parts baking soda, four parts salt and one part cream of tartar. Pour a quarter-cup of the mixture down the drain, then immediately pour down a cup of boiling water. Wait a minute, then flush with cold water.

Making Christmas environmentally-friendly isn't difficult. It just takes a little extra thought and some motivation. Maybe this year is a good time to launch some new, ecologically-minded holiday traditions -- as well as a habit or two that can be continued all year-round.