There’s nothing like gathering together with friends and family for the holidays. But while the holiday season is the best time of the year for many people, it has its downsides for the planet—especially excessive waste and skyrocketing energy use.

Making your holiday decorations, gift giving and celebrations more eco-friendly is easier than you think. Here are 10 easy, low-cost ways to go green this holiday season, from organic trees to creative gift wrap.

1. Send tree-free holiday cards. Buy cards made from recycled materials, or make your own from scraps of decorative paper if you’re crafty. Even junk mail can be transformed into fun pop-up cards.

Or, do something entirely unique and unexpected that requires no physical materials at all. “Send video greetings instead of cards,” suggests Lynn Colwell, author of the book Celebrate Green! “Make it fun and memorable, but short!”

2. Give gifts that are socially conscious or charitable, or simply give the gift of your time. Global Exchange and Ten Thousand Villages sell thousands of fair-trade gifts from home décor to games and toys, while Oxfam America Unwrapped allows you to donate necessities to the poor in your loved ones’ names. You can also take IOUs up a notch with printable coupons for homemade desserts, back massages and childcare.

3. Eco-friendly holiday gift wrap doesn’t have to be boring or expensive. Get creative with materials like maps, fabric, baskets and wooden craft boxes. Avoid metallic foil gift wrap, because it’s not recyclable. And, Colwell has a tip that will make unwrapping gifts even more fun for little ones. “Don’t wrap kids’ gifts. Send youngsters on a treasure hunt for them instead.”

4. Make your home festive and bright with energy saving LED lights, which will put you in a jolly mood by saving money on your holiday electric bill. They last a lot longer, too—but when they finally do die, there’s an eco-friendly way to dispose of them. Send them to HolidayLEDs.com and not only will they recycle them, they’ll send you a coupon for 15% off a new set.

5. Go pesticide-free with your holiday tree this year. Seek out organic trees, or locate small local tree farms that are less likely to use pesticides. You can find organic trees in your area at LocalHarvest.org. Go even more earth-friendly by purchasing a potted tree that can be planted in your yard after the holidays.

6. Decorate your home in eco-friendly style for the holidays. Throw a holiday décor swap party to get secondhand garlands, ornaments, figurines and more from friends and family to give your home a fresh new look without spending a dime. Or, you can turn to nature for inspiration and bring seasonal greenery like evergreen branches, pinecones and sprigs of holly into your home.

7. Cloth napkins and table linens are an elegant touch, even for casual holiday parties, and they help reduce the amount of waste created by your soiree. The same goes for reusable tableware and utensils.

“In the long run, if you throw more than 2 or 3 parties over as many years, the least expensive option for tableware is actually buying extra dishes, silverware and glasses,” says Starre Vartan, author of The Eco Chick Guide to Life.

“You can find complete sets at Salvation Army or Goodwill, or even better, you can collect unique dishes one at a time that together create a decorative theme.”

8. When it comes to food, think fresh, organic and local. While an all-organic fete would be ideal, sometimes it can get pricey. Be green and keep your party costs down at the same time by heading to your local farmer’s market first for produce, meats and cheeses.

9. Dazzle your guests with a variety of organic, sustainably farmed and fair trade beverages. From carbon-negative vodka to organic liqueurs in exotic flavors, WebEcoist.com has a rundown on eco-friendly spirits and delicious seasonal cocktails. Or, offer up a variety of organic, fair-trade teas and coffees from your local health food store.

10. Make it easy for your guests to recycle by placing labeled recycling receptacles in plain sight. A cardboard box covered in festive wrapping paper or a sturdy storage bin borrowed from your attic will blend right in, and ensure that you don’t have to dig glass bottles out of the trash the next day.

Going green doesn’t have to mean sacrificing traditions. Taking these easy steps to reduce your impact on the earth removes some of the stress and waste from the holiday season, helping you slow it down and make it more personal, meaningful and fulfilling.