As the nights are getting colder and the heating is turned up, Christmas cards are being written, fairy lights switched on, and shoppers are descending upon malls around the country…the festive season is most definitely here again. However, it is important to explore the effect that the Christmas season is having on our environment; the endless heating, driving, tree chopping and cooking of the holiday season are all having an increasingly detrimental effect.

Few sights are better than that of a Christmas tree surrounded by neatly wrapped presents, yet the presents we choose for each other are increasingly taking a toll on our environment and our atmosphere. Though battery-powered toys might bring much joy to children, environmentalists argue that such toys are among the most dangerous to our environment. The market for electronic devices has quickly expanded in recent years, fed by the quick growth of the economies of China and India. The production of such toys has a large carbon footprint due to the level of energy needed to produce the hardware, including batteries, and due to the energy they use when being played with.

Then there's the issue of paper greeting cards, and there's lots of ‘em. It is estimated that approximately sixty per cent of cards are sent at Christmas. In Britain alone, this means that roughly 1.7 billion Christmas cards are being sent each year. At least two hundred thousand trees will be felled to feed this trade. When you consider print and transport resources too, the environmental impact is significant. Furthermore, the majority of these cards will be thrown away shortly after Christmas, adding to the waste.

However, there are ways in which we can all make our holiday season a little greener this year. The e card industry provides the solution to the environmental dilemma of paper Christmas cards. Whilst e cards often used to be tasteless and of poor quality, companies such as Katie's Cards are now creating first-class, funny e cards for a reasonable price. With people of all ages communicating increasingly in electronic formats - over text, email and through social media sites - a transition from printed to electronic cards seems to be a natural progression.

By sending e cards at Christmas you can decrease your carbon footprint by skipping the car journey needed to buy and deliver the cards, thus decreasing the amount of C02 being tossed out into the atmosphere. Furthermore, sending Ecards is often cost effective; most E card sites offer the option of paying a fairly small one-off sign-up fee that gives you unlimited access to their E cards over a set time period. This trend is growing steadily with a third of UK computer users now choosing to send electronic cards at Christmas.

There are many other ways in which you can make your Christmas celebrations a little greener this year. For example, making your presents at home can save you money and also means that you can avoid navigating the busy, icy roads during the Christmas rush. Stewing fruit to make homemade jams and storing them in recycled jam jars or preparing some festive chocolate truffles would make great gifts and are also handy to have in stock when the inevitable surprise Christmas visitors arrive!

Food undeniably plays a central role in Christmas celebrations and buying seasonal, locally produced food both sustains the economy and also lessens the number of ‘food miles' your meals accumulate. Seasonal winter foods include leeks, almonds, potatoes, apples, goose, partridge and, the festive favourite, brussel sprouts.

Interestingly, it is actually more eco-friendly to buy a real Christmas tree, rather than a synthetic one. If you choose the ‘real' option, make sure you buy your tree from a sustainable planter and utilise recycling schemes run by your local council when the festivities have come to an end. Often, the council can make woodchips from the trees and can use them to mulch public parks.

So, to wrap up (sorry, festive pun), whilst we may be praying for a white Christmas this year, we should also be trying to make our Christmases a little greener. Most of these ‘green' ideas will save you a few pennies too…which means you can stock up on extra mince pies and mulled wine to see you through the chilly winter months.