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'Tis the season for excess.

Have An Eco-Friendly Holiday
(without sacrificing style)

"The holidays are marked by a heightened period of consumption, which produces more waste than usual," says Kim Carlson, host of Livin' the Green Life on Voice America radio. "But you can participate in the festivities and still be green; just make more earth-friendly choices." How to start:

• Reset your table
  "Cloth napkins eliminate paper waste and can be reused for years," says Carlson.

• Give the gift of experience
  "Tickets to a game will be appreciated more than another coffeemaker," says Carlson. Not only does this reduce garbage, but it creates a memory.

• Read the labels
  Whenever possible, buy gifts made from natural materials rather than plastics, which contain petroleum.

• Pack it up right
  Ditch the paper, and wrap with reusable materials. (Slip a gift into a scarf and tie it with a ribbon.)