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In the spirit of the holidays and the Copenhagen Climate Change talks, I am combining the two for this Five for Friday post- five ways to make your White Christmas green. Or, for those of you who live in warmer climes, five ways to make your Green Christmas greener.

1. Buy a re-plantable Christmas tree: I'd never heard of such a thing until fellow intern and green-queen extraordinaire Hilary told me her family does this every year. Although very few places in the United States actually market it, the idea is simple: Buy an evergreen with its root ball still attached, enjoy it for the holiday season; then return in to the nursery, plant it in your backyard, or donate it to a local park! Swanson's in Seattle, Washington is one such nursery that will take back the tree and re-plant it in Pipers Creek, a salmon habitat that needs conifers and other trees to maintain a healthy stream for the fish.

Another organization in the Pacific Northwest calls itself the "Original Living Christmas Tree Company." They pick up trees and replant them in watersheds all over the Northwest. They also have great tips on other ways to get a living Christmas tree if you don't live in the Portland, Oregon area.

Whatever kind of tree you buy, make sure it's real! According to the Environmental News Network, real trees are better for the environment than fake plastic ones. Check out the full story to read more.

2. Wrap gifts in recycled paper: My mother is the master of recycling wrapping paper (and ribbons) year after year. In fact, we have an entire closet in our house dedicated to wrapping materials, most of which have been used and re-used many times. Newspaper makes excellent (and often nicely-sized!) wrapping paper, especially if you use the Comics and other colored or graphic sections. Here at National Geographic, the Maps department frequently gives away old, rejected, or torn maps; I've been digging through the pile all semester, and plan to wrap all of my gifts this year in them! Ribbons and bows are also very easy to re-use. Grab a bag and see how many streamers, bows, and other gift-garnishes you can collect this year. You'll be surprised how fast your pile grows!

MWW learned about Alexandra Ramaeker Zahn, a 12-year-old from Iowa who has written four novels, through a friend's encounter with the her mother at a conference. Following the lead from our friend, we called Alexandra to learn more about her stories, which span the geography of the U.S. and Europe.

Alexandra is a middle school student who participates in multiple sports, as well as Mock Trial, Destination Imagination, Junior Achievement, Jazz Band and Chorus. She has traveled to 18 states and 2 countries with her family. She enjoys learning, in detail, facts about each of the places she has been to. She is curious about other cultures, landscapes, the science of things, and the dynamics of friendships.

Can you tell me the titles of the four novels you've written and give a brief synopsis of each?
Moving Streak is the story of an 8th grade girl named Abby who moves around the United States--to South Dakota, Iowa, and North Carolina. She doesn't know if she really fits in because she moves around so much. By the end of the novel, she finds out who her real friends are, and who she really is.

Deep Down Secrets is set in New York City. It is about a popular girl who doesn't really love being popular, and doesn't really know who she's become. With the help of her best friend, she comes to terms with herself.

Best Year Never is the sequel to Deep Down Secrets. It goes deeper into the friendships of the protagonist. Some kids still think she's stereotypically "cool," but others discover that she is different in important ways.

Princess of Anastesia takes place in Italy, in medieval times. It tells the story of a 12-year-old who lives with a farm family, but discovers that her real dad is a king, and she is a princess. Her father had to give her up because his kingdom was fighting a great war, and the enemies were trying to hurt her.

In brainstorming holiday craft ideas, I tried to come up with something that would be geographic, gender-neutral, and fun for all ages...Why not transform the traditional gingerbread house into a gingerbread global village? You could make an adobe abode for warm-weather dwellers, an igloo, a tee-pee, an eco-home...

So, like any good researcher, I grabbed my roommates and put the idea to the test this past weekend. They made an elaborate, traditional Victorian estate complete with an ice-skating rink and outhouse. I went less traditional--and only slightly less ambitious--and built a two-story adobe home and igloo.

Here are our tried-and-true recipes, tips and ideas.

You'll need:
--Gingerbread dough (recipe below)
--icing (recipe below)
--food coloring
--rolling pin
--measuring cups and spoons
--cookie sheets
--wax paper
--clean work surface
--pencils
--paper
--ruler
--scissors
--card stock or cardboard
--candy, such as gum drops, Life Savers, candy canes, Twizzlers, Pirouette cookies, etc.

We got the main recipe and instructions from "Elise" at Simply Recipes. Keep reading for step-by-step instructions.

Over 100 world leaders, President Obama included, will converge in Copenhagen this week and next for the UN Climate Change Conference, but they are not the only ones flocking to the Danish capital. Thousands of young people from all over the world, 500+ from the United States alone, are pouring into the Bella Convention Center to make delegates take notice. They may come from every corner of the planet, but they all share the same message: Now is the time to fight climate change. Here are two awesome groups leading the charge.

Expedition Copenhagen
Will Steger, the renowned polar explorer, educator, activist, and National Geographic Explorer in Residence Emeritus, is among the conference attendees. With him is Expedition Copenhagen, a dozen of the Midwest's most dedicated youth, intent on spreading the word about the impacts of climate change and elevating the status of youth voices around the world on this topic. As a Midwesterner myself, I am extremely proud of these young people and their dedication to the environment!

In our "Holiday Geocrafts and Treats" post, we suggested trying some traditional ethnic dishes. Of course, the possibilities are endless--nearly every culture on Earth from Mexico to Monaco has its own suite of seasonal recipes. So, to narrow the list, we stuck with our Geography in the News theme of Christmas in Denmark, and added a Chanukah recipe for good measure (of course, Jews are an important minority in Denmark as throughout much of Europe--ever read the excellent children's book "Number the Stars?")

So, without further ado, here are our favorite recipes for Danish rice pudding, Æbleskivers, and Jewish potato latkes.

Danish Rice Pudding
Rice pudding is consumed throughout the holiday season in Denmark. On Christmas Eve, it follows the traditional meal of goose--the lucky guest to find the almond hidden in the pudding gets a prize. Another serving is offered at night to appease the prankster elf Nisse, who might otherwise make mischief. On Christmas morning, rice pudding is even eaten for breakfast!

The holidays are a great time to explore the geography of a new travel destination, rediscover the geography of your local community, or take part in fun geography crafts and games at home. Try to plan at least one geography-themed family activity over the holidays. Here are a few ideas:

1) Play a geography trivia or board game like Brain Quest, World Wise, or Passport to Culture

2) If traveling, let the kids play navigator and program the GPS device. Or, go old-school and chart your route on a map.

3) Bake a cake or sheet of gingerbread. Using candy and icing, decorate it with a map of your holiday travel plans or an upcoming trip.

4) Bake a traditional ethnic treat, such as Danish rice pudding, able skiver pancakes, or potato latkes.

5) Instead of the traditional gingerbread house, build a global village out of candy! Make an adobe abode for warm-weather dwellers, an igloo, maybe even an eco-home. Get creative!

Here are some more holiday tips from National Geographic Kids:

A discussion of December happenings in Denmark (see previous post) would not be complete without Christmas, the nation's most celebrated holiday. Although climate change might alter the possibility of a white Christmas, Danish traditions are here to stay!

This holiday is big in Denmark, and even the Danish word for Christmas, Jul, means "feast," and modern traditions have origins in old Nordic culture. Good eats abound during the season, beginning on Christmas Eve. While we often eat a Christmas ham in the United States, the traditional meat in Denmark on this night is goose. After dinner, a popular dessert is rice pudding.  Hidden in the dish lies one whole almond, and the person who finds it wins a prize! On Christmas morning, Danes eat more sweet fare such as puddings, pies, or a traditional Danish treat called Æbleskiver.

Families and friends aren't the only ones who enjoy the Christmas treats: Danish folklore tells of Nisse, an elf who loves playing tricks on unsuspecting people. Rather than milk and cookies for Santa it is tradition to leave out a bowl of--you guessed it--rice pudding for Nisse on Christmas Eve to remain in his good graces and ward off any pranks.

Recipes for Danish Rice pudding, Æbleskiver, and other delicious holiday treats are coming soon, so check out the blog in the coming days!

Do you have a special holiday tradition in your home? Share them with us!

Special Note: My sister Kate lives and teaches in India. I told her about the Blog-a-thon, and she was inspired to have her students write about geography! Thanks for sending these, Kate!

I am an English teacher at Primrose School in Puducherry. We are in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, on the Indian Ocean. In the spirit of Geography Awareness Week, I gave all my students the creative writing assignment, "If you could fly, where would you go and what would you see?" I was curious how my students would describe their land from up above. Would they write about water buffalo glistening after the monsoon rains, women weaving garlands of jasmine blossoms to wear in their hair, or business men smearing white ash kum-kums on their foreheads in devotion to Shiva at the temple before they go to the office? My students' stories are as diverse as India itself. Enjoy!
--Kate Strassman

Environmental scientist, educator, and writer Ford Cochran conducted fieldwork at Mt. St. Helens, on Hawaii's volcanoes, and in its rain forests, savannas, and deserts while a Yale graduate student. He was an assistant professor at the University of Kentucky before coming to the Geographic to help launch nationalgeographic.com in 1996. Ford has joined National Geographic expeditions to Iceland, the Mediterranean, Florida, California, Costa Rica, the Canadian Rockies, and the Pacific Northwest. He has produced more than 100 online applications and documentary websites, written for National Geographic magazine, and is now an editorial director and editor of National Geographic BlogWild.

The H1N1/swine flu outbreak has prompted officials to close hundreds of schools across the United States and left thousands of kids and teens (both sick and well) stranded at home. The U.S. Department of Education has recommended that schools and parents help students continue learning while they're home, and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan called on educational publishers to support the effort.

National Geographic has responded with Home Zone--two hours of programming each weekday plus streaming programs online from the National Geographic Channel, with companion activity guides from National Geographic School Publishing.

Keep reading Ford's full post on his blog!
http://blogs.nationalgeographic.com/blogs/blogwild/2009/11/chicken-soup-for-the-mind-home.html

Saraswathi and daughter Aakriti live in Hyderabad, India. Aakriti is in 5th grade at the Hyderabad Public School (Begumpet), and wrote this post about a vacation with her family.

My family and I had gone for a holiday to a valley called Araku valley. This valley is about three hours drive from the famous port 'Visakapatanam', also known as Vizag. The drive from Vizag to Araku is full of coffee and pepper plantations, which makes it wonderful. Forty kilometers from Araku valley, there is a huge cave called the 'Borra Caves'.

It was raining all through our journey, but had just stopped raining when we reached the caves. We got the entry tickets which was one hundred rupees per head for adults and fifty rupees per head for children. The entrance had stalls all around it that made it look like a market place indeed!