By Cynthia Sewell, McClatchy Newspapers

Have you been dreaming of a green Christmas? With a little effort -- much less than you thought -- you and your family can enjoy the holiday and save the planet at the same time.
Holiday lights

Save money and energy by switching your old strands of incandescent holiday lights with newer LED (light emitting diode) holiday lights.

LED lights are safer, and they use 75 to 90 percent less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than traditional holiday lights. Plus, LEDs stay cool to the touch so they will not burn the tree or a child's fingers.

Wrapping

Between Thanksgiving and New Year's, the average American household increases its trash output by 25 percent, resulting in 5 million extra tons of garbage, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

"Think about Christmas morning -- you get done, and you have all these garbage bags full of trash," said Susan Angel, a green events planner from Boise and owner of Angel & Co.

The biggest thing someone can do to green their holiday, Angel said, is to do away with traditional wrapping paper and packaging, which often cannot be recycled.

Angel made the change last year, making gift bags out of fabric.

"If you are not real crafty, consider pillow cases tied with a ribbon."

Other options include cloth or reusable gift or tote bags or wrapping gifts in usable items like dish towels or scarves. And try old newspapers, magazine pages, paper bags or old maps.

Trees

Fake holiday trees are not environmentally friendly. Most are made in China from petroleum-based PVC and are not biodegradable, so they will sit in landfills for decades.

For a "greener" holiday tree consider a live, uncut tree, which can be replanted in your yard after the holidays.

Living Christmas trees can be purchased at some retail lots, choose-and-cut farms and some nurseries and garden centers.

The trees require extra attention. They need to acclimate for a couple of days in a garage or enclosed porch before being brought indoors, where they should not remain for more than one week. Then they should be gradually reintroduced to the colder outdoors before being planted.

Fresh-cut trees from tree farms are a better choice than trees harvested from the wild. Most fresh-cut Christmas trees now come from tree farms, so deforestation isn't an issue. Additionally, Christmas tree farms keep large swaths of land from being developed. When the trees grow, they emit oxygen into the air. But they often require pesticides and must be shipped.