With the holidays over and the New Year begun, many of us are looking to clean house, which at this time of year means getting rid of Christmas trees and wrapping paper and clearing out the old electronics—televisions, computers, gaming consoles, phones—that were replaced with new ones. Here's how to handle your old stuff in a greener way:

Wrapping paper and cards

Any wrapping paper, cards and bubble wrap can be put into your Blue Cart to be recycled.

Old Christmas Trees

If you had a real Christmas tree, remember to remove all decorations and tinsel and don't wrap the tree in plastic before recycling. Then you have two options to take part in the City of Calgary Christmas Tree Recycling Program:

For pick-up

Have your tree out beside your City of Calgary Black Cart by 7:00 a.m., Tuesday, January 8, 2013 and your tree will be picked up within three weeks.

For drop-off

If you've missed the pick-up in your community, you can drop your trees off at one of the eight temporary Christmas tree drop-off locations until January 27, 2013:

• Fire Hall #15 - 6358 35 Avenue NW
• Prairie Winds Park - 223 Castleridge Blvd NE
• Bottomlands Park - St. George's Drive and 7 Avenue NE
• Marda Loop Communities Association - 3130 16 Street SW
• Parks Compound - 10312 Sacremento Drive SW
• Spyhill Landfill - 69 Street and 112 Avenue NW
• East Calgary Landfill - 17 Avenue and 68 Street SE
• Shepard Landfill - 114 Avenue and 68 Street SE

Note that Christmas trees cannot be put into your Blue Cart (even if they're cut into pieces).

Christmas trees that are part of the recycling program (40,000 last year) are saved from the landfills and turned into mulch (that you can go pick up for free to use in your own garden!)

Used Electronics

If you have electronics that are in good working condition, you may be able to donate them (contact the Electronics Recycling Association) or sell them (or give them away) on Kijiji. Otherwise, certain electronics can be dropped off, at no cost, at any of the City of Calgary's electronics recycling locations.

Examples of the types of electronics that are accepted for recycling include:

• TVs (all sizes)
• Laptops
• Desktop computers
• Printers
• Computer monitors (some restrictions apply)

Christmas holidays provide a wonderful opportunity to have some quality family time. Here are some activities that your family can do that won't break the bank.

Calgary Public Library is offering free programs during the holidays.

Crowfoot is also offering Winter Break Activities. School's out, snow and cold are in, but not at the Library. Join us for a variety of fun indoor activities. Ages 6 to 12 Wednesday, Jan 02, Thursday, Jan 03, Friday, Jan 04 10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Main floor - Open Area. No registration required.

Signal Hill is offering Game-a-palooza, an extravaganza of games: giant chess, checkers, Snakes 'n Ladders, and more! Ages 6 to 12 with a parent/caregiver. No registration required.

On Thursdays, December 27^th and January 3^rd from 2:00 - 3:30 pm, Country Hills Library will be offering a Family Wii Party (ages 7 and up with a parent/caregiver). Bring the whole family and enjoy some video game fun with the Nintendo Wii. No registration is required.

Don't forget that your public library is a great place to find books, ebooks audiobooks and DVDs for everyone in the family. I think some of my favourite memories are browsing through the children's books looking for my kids' favourites.

The Olympic Oval’s Christmas Family Skate, invites you and your family to skate with Santa on Sunday December 23^rd, from 12:00- 4:00 pm. The admission is $2:00/person.

City of Calgary is offering a Free Public Skate on Boxing Day at various arenas.

As well, there are many outdoor rinks, run either by the City of Calgary or by the various community associations.

The city also has designated parks for tobogganing and sledding.

Watch a family favourite film each week for only $2.50 at Cineplex, on Saturday mornings at 11 am. A portion of proceeds go towards supporting Starlight Children's Foundation.

If you are looking for Christmas light displays, check out the Airdrie Festival of Lights and the Lion's Festival of Lights.

There is lots to see and do with your family in Calgary without having to spend a lot of money.

Have a Happy Holiday Season!!

So what is an environment-minded person to do at this time of year?

We turn up our furnaces, idle our car engines and use our ovens, stoves and clothes dryers more and for longer times. Holiday season means more purchasing and wrapping. Winter weather means no outdoor gardens and often less composting.

This season can be a challenging time for those trying to respect the Earth, but we can do many small things, which added up can make a significant difference in how much energy we use and how much garbage we produce.

Below are some sites with smart, easy ideas on how each one of us can be a little greener during winter:

EarthShare Winter Green Tips covers everything from green holidays, conserving energy in your home (while still staying warm!).

Washington State Winter Tips divides their green winter advice into four areas: holidays, at home, yard & garden and at play.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Winter Tips includes good reminders, including advice on recycling electronics and conserving water in winter.

We also have many books on how to be greener anytime of the year:

Holiday season can be difficult to maintain a healthy lifestyle-parties, late nights, lots of food and drinks with family and friends, it seems like it may never end! At such a busy time of year, it is hard to find time to exercise and keep up proper eating habits. In hopes of keeping my family on the healthy track over the holidays, I thought it would be a good idea to include some of my favourite healthy resources.

Who doesn’t love Dr. Oz? Dr. Mehmet Oz shot to stardom after his many guest appearances on Oprah. He has written a number of books including “YOU, the owner's manual: an insider's guide to the body that will make you healthier and younger”, "You, being beautiful : the owner's manual to inner and outer beauty", "You on a diet : the owner's manual for waist management" and “You, staying young : the owner's manual to extending your warranty", just to name a few. Dr. Oz’s books are easy to follow and provide practical advice at every stage of life. If you are a fan of his show, the library also has a number of Dr. Oz recommended reads which can be found on his website. Here are a few selections from guests on the show: “Spontaneous Happiness” by Andrew Weil and “Paleoista: gain energy, get lean, and feel fabulous with the diet you were born to eat” by Nell Stephenson. If you are a fan of Dr. Oz, the library has you covered!

Be sure to check back for more of my favourites. New Years is just around the corner, what are your resolutions for 2013? Any healthy ideas?

As the holiday season approaches, we all look towards the mountains for winter activities such as skiing and snowboarding. Don't forget that there are many other family oriented things to do whether you are going just for a day or have longer to spend.

Banff is always a great place to spend some time. My kids used to love stopping to see the hoodoos, riding up the gondola to the top of Sulphur Mountain and, of course, spending time on Banff Avenue visiting the candy store and the rock shop.

Think of dog-sledding and horse-drawn sleigh rides, ice skating, tobogganing and sledding. The Hot Springs are open year round as is the Gondola. Just imagine the snowy vistas you can see from the top of the mountain!! Check the Town of Banff website for information on winter activities.

If you prefer to be indoors, you can visit some of the museums such as the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies (I loved the historic photographs) or the Banff Park Museum National Historic Site of Canada (The kids loved the animals.) One of my personal favorites is a stroll through the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel. Legend has it that the main stairway is haunted by the ghost of a bride who fell as she descended the stairs.

Jasper is another great place to go. The Maligne Canyon ice walk offers a chance to see frozen waterfalls and fanciful ice formations. The Jasper tourism site lists the tour companies which will guide you through this frozen wonderland. You can find information on both indoor and outdoor activities on this webpage.

Lake Louise and Canmore also offer a host of winter activities. I particularly love skating on Lake Louise with the mountains towering around us.

You can make the most of your visit by checking out some of these great books at Calgary Public Library before you go. Find some hidden corners that you haven't discovered before.