By Lynn Colwell and Corey Colwell-Lipson [The authors of Celebrate Green created some tips especially for us about holiday girlfriend parties with a green theme. Read on for great ways to create fun, meaningful, and earth-friendly times with your girlfriends!] Many of us are facing tough times this holiday season and if we’re into being eco-friendly, we might be thinking we’ll have to economize away from thinking green. Guess what? You can celebrate green and save green in the process! In fact, green gifts and gatherings almost always are the least expensive way to go. And it’s easy, too.

Green Girls Night In: Instead of organizing a girl’s night out, for instance, try a “girl’s night in!” Simple decorations from nature, a few beeswax candles, some yummy hors d’oeuvres from locally grown veggies, organic spa products—none is terribly expensive, but all lessen our impact on the planet without affecting the fun-o-meter.

Holiday Crafts and Sharing: As for what to do, especially around this time of year, how about doing a craft project both for yourselves and to donate to a local charity? For instance, have all the girls bring old Christmas cards they don’t want to toss, but don’t know what to do with. Cut up a cardboard box so each person has a sheet about 12×18”. Cut up the cards, glue them down, then wrap (cover the edges too), with clear contact paper. Voila, an original, reusable placemat. The mats Corey made when she was three, now grace her own family’s table. That’s more than 30 years of use.

Another fun idea for using up “old stuff,” is making button garlands. You know those jars of buttons you’ve been collecting? Rather than let them gather dust, get some thin wire and simply push it through the button holes, twist, leave a bit of space and attach the next button. A wonderful part of this activity is sharing with your friends, any stories the buttons might bring up. When Lynn was doing this, she had a flash of nostalgia when she realized that the button in her hand had been on the suit she wore when she left on her honeymoon 40 years before.

The idea of giving is definitely a part of being green. So be sure to make extra mats or button garlands to bring to a local nursing home, hospital or school.

Green Party Basics: When planning your event, think green by taking the 3R’s (reduce, reuse, recycle) into consideration. Invites are best offered by phone or e-mail. Strive to hold a no-waste evening by using plates, cups and utensils you already own, avoiding bottled water and purchasing the least amount of packaged foods and other party items as possible. This way, you avoid having to throw away wrapping. Plan so that you don’t have too much food left over and compost whatever you cannot send home with your friends. And of course, provide a small recycling bin. Try as you might, you’ll probably have a few things to put in it.

Organic Treats: What’s a girls’ celebration without a little wine and chocolate? Both are available in organic varieties that taste great. Organic chocolates from www.Sjaaks.com are not only beautiful, but not terribly expensive. These days, you can purchase organic wines at big box stores as well as neighborhood shops.

Green Up Your Gifts: As for gifts for your girlfriends, here are a few “green” guidelines. No gift is going to meet every one of these standards, but keeping them in mind when you shop will make it so much easier for you to purchase something meaningful for your girlfriend and know that you’re doing the right thing at the same time. Look for items that are recycled, fair trade, locally made, handmade using recycled materials, made from sustainable materials such as organic cotton or hemp, and select tree-free alternatives for paper goods.. It’s absolutely amazing how much is available these days both online and in your local store. Once you begin looking, you’ll be surprised and delighted.

And the best part is that shopping green doesn’t have to be expensive. Most eco-friendly online stores are offering just as many bargains as their bricks-and-mortar counterparts. To get you started, you might like to take a look at twelve 50% off coupons we’re offering for a variety of eco-friendly items from children’s clothing and toys, to fabulous seed-embedded calendars, to shopping bags. You’ll find the coupons in PDF format here.

Speaking of gifts, we just have to put in a word for using fabric instead of paper to wrap them. Check out these fabulous wraps from Bobo Wrap. But there’s no need to buy. You can make your own from any thin fabrics you have lying around including silk scarves or even napkins. Learn a few simple folding techniques (watch the video on the Bobo Wrap site), and you’ll gift your girlfriends with something that can be handed on and on.

Lynn Colwell and Corey Colwell-Lipson are mother and daughter and the co-authors of Celebrate Green! Visit them at their website, www.CelebrateGreen.net For more ideas to celebrate green that can be adapted for all your girlfriend gatherings, check out their book, Celebrate Green! Creating Eco-Savvy Holidays, Celebrations and Traditions for the Whole Family. Purchase from this link and they will give you $2.00 off when you insert the coupon code: CELEBRATE GIRLFRIENDS in the space provided for message to seller.