Tips for making your holiday decorations greener

Plastic ornaments, strands of electricity-hogging lights, trees chopped down by the millions: Christmas decorating isn't exactly known as environmentally friendly.

But, say design experts, there are plenty of ways to bring the sparkle and style of the season into your home without increasing your carbon footprint.

Bring the Outdoors In

Search outside, says Atlanta-based interior designer Mallory Mathison, for natural materials such as "leaves, branches, cones of all types and berries." She creates holiday centerpieces by filling bowls or baskets with fresh fruits and vegetables. Try an assortment of crimson and golden pears, Mathison says, or go red and green with pomegranates and artichokes.

With pine cones, "collect as many different types as possible. They need to be dry, so lay them out in the attic or garage." Try displaying them, she says, in large silver bowls, long trays or "a big, funky pottery bowl."

Designer Brian Patrick Flynn, of the TBS series "Movie and a Makeover," says many vendors of live Christmas trees will offer cut branches for free. "I like to turn those into my own wreath. If you Google 'basket weaving,' there are easy instructions online," he says. "It's great for those people who love something organic, because your entire wreath is made up of real tree branches."

If you're buying a live Christmas tree, consider one that can be replanted after the holidays. Some are available in pots, others have their roots tied up loosely in fabric.

"They're usually shorter than the cut variety because they have the root ball," says Mathison. "So use a large clay or metal container to boost the tree up to your preferred height. Drape the container with fabulous fabric or wrap it in paper. If you have small children, let them decorate the paper with white snowflakes or hand prints."

Another eco-conscious strategy: Look for a "Charlie Brown Christmas tree," says Flynn, "the tiny one nobody wants, all beat up and half dead." Rather than letting a tree like that go to waste, he suggests buying it and giving it new life.

"If I find a little, tiny blue spruce, with the top healthy, bottom dead, I turn it into a mini tree and play up the idea of the 'Charlie Brown Christmas' — sparse and chic," he says. "Then dress it up with super graphic, vintage ornaments."