'Tis the season to be jolly and, more often than not, 'tis also the season to frantically realize that presents still need to be wrapped before that holiday party or before the children wake up and sneak peeks at their gifts.

However, instead of rushing out to the store for rolls of virgin wrapping paper and plastic ribbons that are used once before being thrown away, resolve to wrap responsibly and implement environmentally friendly methods that use less waste.

According to Stanford University's Waste Prevention Facts, "Americans throw away 25 percent more trash during the Thanksgiving to New Year's holiday period than any other time of year. The extra waste amounts to 25 million tons of garbage, or about 1 million extra tons per week!"

The college estimates that by wrapping even just three presents in reused materials, it could save enough paper to cover 45,000 football fields.

There are a variety of simple solutions that everyone can try this season that will make the holidays not only merry and bright, but also green.

Instead of Cards, Try…

The Greeting Card Association, which collects industry information, statistics, and trends reports that "Americans purchase approximately 6.5 billion greeting cards each year…" and Christmas cards are by far the most frequently purchased seasonal card.

The Newtown High School's (NHS) Environmental Club suggests cutting out old holiday cards and repurposing the image, or its written message, into a gift tag for presents.

Newtown resident Nicole Christensen, who writes for Mary Jane Farm Magazine's Farmgirl Bloggers as the "Suburban Farmgirl," also uses alternative methods to buying new holiday cards.

After she cuts out the front of old Christmas cards, she pastes them onto wrapped presents as extra decoration. She learned that tip from her father and, without meaning to, has even started a new tradition inspired by that method of reusing cards.

On her daughter's first Christmas, she received a heartfelt card from her grandparents, who lived far away and could not be there with her for the holidays in person. The card meant to much, that Ms Christensen began reusing the front of it each year on her daughter's gift from her grandparents. Now, 15 years later, the tradition is still alive and is something her daughter looks forward to each Christmas.

Instead of Wrapping Paper, Try…

Newtown resident Fran Ashbolt, of the C.H. Booth Library, suggests reusing brown paper shopping bags as an easy and accessible alternative to wrapping paper this holiday season. She has been using this method for years and has even passed down her environmentally friendly spirit to her daughter, Emily, who reuses calendars to wrap gifts.

Ms Ashbolt says Emily uses calendars with pictures, mostly of serene town and country English cottages, which make for an attractive wrapping option.

The NHS Environmental Club also has found many creative ways to eliminate the need for wrapping paper, including using used newspapers.

Club advisor and NHS science teacher Karolyn Baumgartner said that last year the group spruced up the newspapers by sponge-painting images, like Christmas trees, onto it to make it more festive.

The club members also made their own customized gift bags by sewing together scrap fabric from old clothing and extra holiday prints. Ms Baumgartner even brought in her sewing machine to teach the students how to cut and fold the pieces together to make different sizes.

Another popular wrapping technique is to have the external component be a gift itself.

"My favorite thing is to have the wrapping be part of the gift," Ms Christensen said. "I like to use vintage linens."

She says people could also use platters, baskets, or tins and decorate them with contact paper.

"It's all about presentation," Mr Christensen said.

Instead of Packing Peanuts, Try…

Delicate items need some cushion to ensure they get to their destination intact, which is why most turn to foam packing peanuts.

Many times, though, these small bits are not biodegradable and are made from plastic. A recyclable alternative, that nearly all households already have, is shredded paper pieces.

Ms Christensen likes to shred her extra brown mailing paper, when she is done wrapping gifts, to create stuffing for gift boxes.

Instead of Ribbons, Try…

As small as ribbon is, it can still make a significant impact on landfills across the country. Stanford University reports that "If every family reused just two feet of holiday ribbon, the 38,000 miles of ribbon saved could tie a bow around the entire planet."

If reusing the ribbon is not an option, an environmentally friendly alternative would be to use twine.

"You can use twine from the garden store that is actually biodegradable and it has that whole rustic farmhouse look," Ms Christensen said.

When wrapping gifts, she also likes to use the twine to tie candy canes on for a seasonal treat. And instead of bows, Ms Christensen says, "I like to really make the packages pop with embellishments like feathers, pinecones, and springs of evergreen." It is a customizable look that everyone can achieve without spending a penny, just by going out in their backyard and collecting fun, natural items.

When selecting what to wrap presents with this holiday season, always remember that a greener planet is a gift that all can enjoy.