The holiday season is fast approaching, and you know what that means: platters of delicious home-baked treats, carefully wrapped gifts for family and friends, and hours-long dinner parties with plates upon plates of picture-perfect dishes. With all the effort we put into entertaining and enjoying the best of the season, we don’t always remember to make space in our planning for sustainable considerations. The good news is that there are many tips and tricks to make sure the most wonderful time of the year is not the most wasteful.

The key to a sustainable holiday is to plan ahead. While that may sound easier said than done, it has many benefits besides being better for the environment. Putting in a bit of planning time can help you be more efficient in your cooking, cleaning and shopping, which means less stressful scrambling in the hours before big events. It’ll also help you save money, by only buying the ingredients and implements you need to properly entertain. The bottom line is less environmental waste, less hassle, and more time for friends, family and fun.

Make it an e-holiday

But everyone loves getting paper invitations! Of course, but electronic invites are cheaper (or free!), better for the environment, and in many ways more convenient than their paper cousins. Recipients can reply quickly, giving you accurate and up-to-date guest numbers. And e-invites are harder to lose, so guests won’t show up at the wrong time, on the wrong day, in the wrong city.

Say no to paper cups and plates

Disposable plates, cups and cutlery are a big no-no if you want to celebrate sustainably. Think of the bag-fulls of garbage that end up in the landfill. Instead, use the real deal and keep it classy and sustainable with your nice porcelain plates, silverware and good goblets. Bonus benefit: the delightful extended family time you get when everyone pitches in to do the dishes.

Give the gift of grub

Don’t forget to send your family home with the extra food! Pick up festive reusable tins before dinner, and pack up what’s left of the turkey and trimmings. Then you won’t have to throw any out after you get bored of eating leftovers.

Put presents in reusable gift bags

After an unwrapping session, no one remembers the paper you put around the gift, they remember your generosity and the thought you put into the item itself. So skip the wrapping paper and put presents in reusable holiday gift bags. Then the recipient can return the favor next year, or gift-it-forward. A sustainable cycle.

Did we miss a tip? Share your tried and true staples with us in the comment section or tweet us @Luvoinc