With all the good will and Christmas cheer in the air, we just might not notice that the season of giving is the time of year when we consume the most of almost everything.

We have to buy gifts to be able to give them -- that much is obvious. But where can we conserve? First let's start with a walk in the mall to see what's all going on.

Notice all the people, including yourself, walking around with an armful of shopping bags. On a little closer examination (don't make it too obvious) you can see that each bag, probably containing only one item, comes from a different store. You make a mental note that everything could probably fit quite handily into a single bag -- even a cloth one brought along from home.

If you're really daring you might hazard a quick peek into a few of these bags. Notice the new ribbons and bows. How about the innumerable rolls of wrapping paper under everyone's arms. This year, you want to remind them, remember to save your gift wrap for a second use.

Now walk down the hall to the food court (you deserve a break after the recycling detective work). But out of the corner of your eye you spot yourself drinking some coffee (or is it eggnog?) out of a Styrofoam cup. Looking up suddenly, you see on every table another non-reusable cup, not to mention all the paper plates and small plastic forks.

Foam cups haven't contained CFCs since 1990, so they no longer pose the risk to ozone that they used to. That said, we still can't ignore the problem. It's estimated that 28 billion of these cups are used per year. That's about 100 hot drinks for every person in the United States and Canada!

Hopefully a little reminder about our consumer society isn't enough to dampen the Christmas spirit. For all our good intentions, the wasteful ways we've done things for so long are hard to avoid -- but we don't have to leave the mall in despair. Take heart! There are ways we can get around our long tradition of over consumption:

For one, when you're shopping for that perfect gift, you can buy a good-quality product. It might cost more at first, but when an item lasts longer, you're saving both money and the resources it takes to make something from scratch. This especially applies to gifts like clothing, furniture and house wares -- stuff that has to last if it's going to be used all the time.

How about a gift that is reusable and replaces some household waste? Do you know that wire mesh coffee filters are available? They are long-lasting, washable, and you can do away with the soggy paper. Be sure to find the size that fits the coffee maker. And then to get rid of the coffee grounds, maybe it's time to give your loved one the gift of indoor composting. Vermi composting -- that's with special worms -- can be done odorless in a house or apartment. Kits run in price from $50 to $80 , and include simple instructions, a bin, and the all-important worms. What you get in return is no more rotten trash and a regular supply of organic fertilizer for your plants and the garden.

If you're really enterprising, you might want to look into giving a recycled gift. It takes a bit more searching, but lots of beautiful clothes and antiques can be found at second-hand and vintage stores. Remember that used clothes are all the rage with the kids. And if you don't know what to look for, maybe a gift certificate is in order.