Season's Greenings

"Have an Eco-Friendly Holiday" is one greeting that sounds, well, a bit un-merry. Scroogey, even. About as festive as reusing wrapping paper...for the fourth time.

Rest assured, going greener for the holidays doesn't imply donning a Grinch costume and regifting. Follow these simple suggestions, like sending totally hip greeting cards made from 100-percent recycled paper or switching to strings of energy-saving LED twinkle lights. No one will feel cheated.

Send the Very Best

In the age of e-mail and text messages, a handwritten note can be a treasure. It's fashionable—and environmentally friendly—to reuse greeting cards to make funky new ones. A little dab o' glue will do ya.

Or send an alternative to a conventional greeting card. Gay Lam, co-owner of Seltzer, says all of their cards, envelopes and wraps are made from 100-percent post-consumer content (cards, $3.50/each; wrap, $6.50/roll; see www.seltzergoods.com for retailers). And some sport eco-friendly motifs: There's a compact-fluorescent-nosed reindeer and a cheery wreath of pomegranates wishing "Peace, Love and Antioxidants."

Hammond Greetings offers cards that can be bought in large and small quantities and personalized—ideal for businesses—made from paper that meets Forest Stewardship Council standards for well-managed forests and fair labor ($110-$140/100; www.hammond.com).

There's no shortage of e-cards online, and many are free. For a small annual fee, Three Leaf Cards will send animated, musical e-cards to as many folks in a year as you designate ($24/year; www.threeleafcards.com). Plus they'll send you gentle birthday reminders, then donate 10 percent to a nonprofit partner such as The Mountain Institute, Co-op America or the Conservation Fund.