Aim for a green, eco-friendly Christmas this year

The wrapping paper and outdated ornaments, the dried-up evergreens and tangled lights--it all has to go somewhere.

Long after the last fruitcake expires, those holiday castoffs will still be sitting in your local landfill.

All told, Americans produce 25 million extra tons of trash during the holiday season.

That's a 25 percent spike in what we throw away, according to ULS (Use Less Stuff), a consumer resource for greener living.

This year, cut your consumption and have an earth-friendly holiday.

Below are some tips on ways to reduce, reuse and recycle, and green up your Christmas.

Update your lights. When they first appeared on the market, LED holiday lights lacked the warmth and charm of incandescent bulbs, and many consumers were hesitant to make the switch.

The latest offerings, however, capture the soft twinkle of traditional lights--and use 80 percent less energy.

"During the holidays, people want to spend time with their family and friends, not worry about their electricity bills," says Allyson Schmutter, spokeswoman for the Alliance to Save Energy.

"By remaining energy-conscious, consumers get to be both festive and frugal, and using LEDs is one of the best ways to cut your electric use during the holiday season.

The final tree is just wrapped (and wrapped and wrapped and wrapped and wrapped) in strands of white twinkle lights. I purchased some of the LED lights last year, and I wasn't too fond of the bright light cast by them for use on the "real" indoor Christmas tree. I think the newer ones are a bit warmer. So we used all of the bright ones on the tomato-cage tree, as it will be used outside and the brightness will be effective.

"They use less energy than the more commonly used incandescent lights, and they are just as pretty to keep your home aglow." To save even more on your holiday electric bill, add timers to the new light displays.

Leaving lights on 24 hours a day will quadruple your energy costs and create four times the pollution, according to the Alliance to Save Energy.

When trading up, be sure to recycle your old strands.

Wrap it with Furoshiki. Skip the paper and bows, and instead give gifts hidden in carefully folded fabric.

This Japanese tradition dates back hundreds of years, and it's catching on here in the United States as a savvy alternative to wasteful wrapping paper. "The ages-old fabric-tying technique from Japan called furoshiki is quickly becoming a tres chic eco-friendly way to share gifts," says Dana S. Holmes.

"Wrapping a gift in fabric instantly sets it apart from the others--and the how-to videos all over YouTube prove that furoshiki is much easier than origami."