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It's meant to be the season of peace and joy to all men, but Christmas can also mean lots of wasted food, discarded trees, and piles of plastic rubbish.

So what can you do to help turn your Christmas from something bad for the environment to a chance to help the planet?

We here at Newsround wanted to know too, so we've asked sustainable social media star Kavita Donkersley for her top tips!

There are so many options out there but whatever you pick, choose one that is easy to recycle.

Brown paper for example might not look as flash with all the glitz and bright colours but it's a good way to go for a more retro and grown-up vibe - and if you want you can always decorate it yourself.

Kavita also recommends using things like holly to decorate your gifts and make the look extra festive.

We know what you're thinking but yes that does include sticky tape!

Impossible you might be thinking, how can I wrap my gifts?

Well Kavita recommends using masking tape (check that it is plastic free) or even string that you can also reuse on other occasions.

Get creative!

If you are a potential Bake Off star of the future you can maybe make something like gingerbread decorations, whack on the icing and thread them through some string to hang on the tree.

There's also the option of a popcorn garland!

You could also use simple white paper to make some snowflakes - there are loads of different patterns and shapes you can make by simply using a pair of scissors.

Don't use the scissors unsupervised though just in case there are any accidents.

When it comes to presents there are lots of homemade options - check out Hayley's ideas for homemade gifts.

Kavita says there are also loads of toys and clothes at charity shops and some are in almost perfect condition.

Many have just been given away because the child who owned it previously didn't use it or had out-grown it.

Special bonus: you can almost always find an amazing bargain as charity shop prices are much lower than in normal shops.

If you've ever received a gift like this you will know they can be the most meaningful gifts of all.

Why not ask you friend what they would like most and arrange it for them.

It doesn't need to be big or expensive - they might be really happy going for a walk or bowling.

After all the most valuable gift they could ever receive is your time and friendship.