Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without all the beautiful lights and decorations that the season brings. Houses light up the night and huge, inflatable Santa Clauses welcome friends and families into people’s homes. Lighting up the tree after you spent hours decorating it, brings so much happiness in homes.

The decorations remind everyone of the joyful season but don’t forget about all the energy being used. Here is a list of things you could do to save energy this year.

• LED Christmas Lights

LED holiday lights use way less electricity, don’t burn out or break, last longer and save you money and energy. With new warm colors on the market, omni-direction glow and lower prices, LED Christmas lights really give incandescent lights a run for their money these days. LED Holiday Lights are as low as $14 and will add sparkle to your holiday displays without breaking the bank.

• LED Candles

There’s nothing like a good flickering candle or two to create warm winter holiday ambiance, but those with kids, pets, asthma or even clumsy relatives might feel they’re too dangerous to have around. LED candles are made of real wax and are even designed to flicker in the same way – only without the flame, smoke and messy, spilling wax. They are truly sustainable because they will last forever.

• Alternative Trees

If you want to take a step and go even greener you might even consider getting a tree made out of recycled aluminum or cardboard. The Tannenboing is an elegant, modern alternative tree made of recycled aluminum, and can be decorated just like a traditional tree. Each one is made in the USA and can be flat-packed for easy storage until you reuse it again. The Moderno Christmas tree may be made of recycled cardboard, but it is just as eye-catching – if not more – than a real tree. They’re sold in plain, white or green, and you can even display them in clusters to give your home a really unique look. They can be decorated with paper, crayons or paint too but are just as attractive right out of the box.

• Faux Cedar Centerpieces

Fake or real pine is always the debate for green-minded holiday decorators. Real smells great but involves killing or injuring trees, and faux pine decor is almost always made using a toxic. Happily for the eco-conscious host who’d like a pine centerpiece on the table can have a reusable cedar pine centerpiece made from PE or polyethylene, which has less toxins. PE is also a much more environmentally friendly and recyclable plastic. The centerpiece looks almost identical to the real thing and, of course, can be reused infinitely.

http://inhabitat.com/how-to-green-your-holidays-with-eco-friendly-christmas-decor/