We all look forward to getting a Christmas card or two in the mail, but from a green perspective this holiday tradition doesn’t seem as bright and cheery. Americans send out around 2 million cards come holiday season, and even the best of those cards aren’t likely to make it past January without winding up in the recycling bin—or worse, the trash. Does this mean you should quit the cards this year? Not necessarily. A green lifestyle that you’ll be able to stick with means finding ways to improve your eco-effect without having to completely give up the things you enjoy.

Instead an easy improvement when it comes to holiday cards is to purchase only options made from recycled paper that hasn’t been bleached with chlorine (most companies offer more than a few recycled paper cards now) and to hand deliver as many as possible to cut down on the carbon emissions of mailing. A better choice, however, is to forego paper cards altogether and send e-cards instead. They use practically no resources, save you money, and might even make it to the destination on time.

The only drawback? Many people now send Christmas cards that include a photo in the design and there haven’t been many options available for Christmas photo ecards in the past. Don’t be discouraged, though, there are ways to send an eco-friendly e-card and still feature a photo of your rapidly-growing little ones (or always adorable dog).

Popular online photo center Smilebox features 100s of Christmas e-card designs with space for photos (as well as videos and music!) and there are designs to fit all tastes, from sophisticated to cutesy. You’ll have to download the free software—which you can use in the future for photo slide shows you send—-but creating a card takes only minutes and you can then e-mail, blog or even print your creation. Best of all, you won’t take down any trees or spend a penny in the process.

You can also find the occasional card company that offers Christmas photo ecards, sometimes for a fee, sometimes for free. They tend to be few and far between, however, so jump on the chance if you find one (the elegant and artistic Pear Tree Greetings had free Thanksgiving ecards and rumor has it there’ll be a holiday set as well, so you may want to check them out.)

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