By Jodi Helmer

Step away from that festive-looking flocked plastic wreath — and start opting for holiday decorations that really are green. You’ll feel even better giving green gifts this year if your present-opening happens amid halls decked in eco-friendly style.

Interior designer Cheryl Terrace says you’re in good company if you’re checking your list twice before buying that petroleum-based fake tree, mass-produced ornaments or energy-draining string of standard holiday lights.

“There’s a huge movement toward respecting the planet during the holidays,” says Terrace, founder of eco-friendly design firm Vital Design. “The focus is shifting from mass consumerism to creating a holiday that’s about gratitude, especially for the environment.”

That green buzz is making it easier than ever to choose eco-friendly holiday decorations. Here are a few tips to help you surround yourself with green this holiday.

1. Gotta get a tree? Keep it green …

Love that fresh pine scent making your house feel all wintry? Go ahead — a live tree is actually a relatively eco-friendly choice, so long as you’re conscious about where it goes once the holidays are over.

According to the National Christmas Tree Association, nearly all cut holiday trees are grown on tree farms — meaning their stock is replenished yearly and forests aren’t hurt by choosing a cut tree. And spent trees can be ground into woodchips and used to mulch your garden or prevent erosion at a local watershed. Check with your city government or go to earth911.org and enter your ZIP code to find out where to have your tree recycled.

Fake trees are a different story, requiring a significant amount of energy and petroleum-based materials to manufacture. Plus, artificial trees are often manufactured overseas and shipped thousands of miles before they reach our living rooms.

“Living trees are another option,” Terrace points out. “They can be kept in a pot during the holidays and planted in the garden afterward.” Local nurseries stock numerous varieties of evergreens. In the Northwest, the Original Living Christmas Tree Company rents live Christmas trees that are returned and replanted after the holidays.

2. String a smarter light string

Instead of buying more standard holiday lights to replace bad strings (or to try and keep outdoing your neighbor’s massive display), opt for energy-efficient light strings. When they’re made using light-emitting diode bulbs, or LEDs, they’re 90 percent more efficient than traditional holiday lights. LEDs also last longer – up to 10,000 hours compared with 5,000 hours for incandescent bulbs.

Look for LED holidays lights where regular lights are sold, or order from websites like www.environmentallights.com and www.christmas-treasures.com.

Or save even more energy with solar-powered holiday lights, and set up a light display wherever you please without a tangle of extension cords all over your lawn. Gaiam.com offers strands of LED lights with solar panels — no outlet required. You can even get lighted wreaths powered by totally cute little solar panels. You’ll pay a little more up front for solar versions of holiday lights, but the savings on your power bill over the holiday season make up for that pretty quickly.

3. Keep practicing your R’s

You’ve heard it a million times, but Terrace says, “Those three little words ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’ can have a huge impact during the holidays.”

Keep it simple: Choose décor items that come with minimal packaging to reduce waste. Wrap gifts in recycled paper or other eco-friendly gift wrap alternatives. And of course, reuse your decorations year after year. Tired of that same old garland? Throw a holiday-décor-swapping party with neighbors, family and friends.

Need a few ornaments to update your tree or to replace broken ornaments? Longing for cheery holiday dinnerware to entertain guests? Check out secondhand shops like Goodwill and the Salvation Army, where you’ll find aisles of gently used holiday décor. Buying secondhand saves cast-offs from the landfill, and you can use the savings to make a donation to a good cause.

Fair trade holiday décor is another way to give back to the world around you. Check out Gaiam’s collection, including beaded ornaments from India and knit stockings from Bosnia. Fair trade programs are designed to ensure that artisans receive a fair wage and to help create sustainable livelihoods.

“Every dollar you spend has power,” Terrace says. “You get to decide how to use that power. Choosing green and fair trade products speaks volumes.”

4. Send a tree-friendly card

Card trees weighed down with dozens of cards might be a yearly fixture in your holiday decorating scheme. But let’s face it, they’re not very green. Around 2.5 billion holiday cards are sold in the United States every year — enough to circle the planet 10 times! Sending digital holiday cards is a simple way to reduce your volume of holiday waste. Web sites like www.hallmark.com and www.photobucket.com offer holiday e-cards that can be personalized and sent to family and friends.

If you prefer the traditional snailmail holiday card route, choose cards made from recycled or sustainably produced paper, and soy-based ink. Try GirlyWhirly, Gaiam.com and Peaceful Valley Greetings, which offers several grow-a-note cards – cards that are embedded with wildflower seeds and can be planted after the holidays.

5. Borrow from nature

Think of how your great-grandma (or great-great grandma) decorated during the holidays — with natural evergreen boughs cut from the tree, handmade ornaments, and bowls of fruit, nuts or pine cones. With a backdrop of seasonal plants like poinsettias and cyclamen, they create a warm, welcoming feel — and they aren’t made of petroleum and chemicals.

Or opt for holiday decorations inspired by nature and made by hand, like fair trade and artisan-crafted ornaments and decorations from Gaiam’s One World collection — made by cooperatives in Nicaragua, Indonesia and other places around the world.

Check your decorating list twice this year, and put the planet front and center during the holidays.