Photo: cameronc/iStock Photo

Last year we bought a small, living Christmas tree. We placed it in the living room, strung some lights and hung a few ornaments, causing the tree lean over in a sweet, Charlie Brown fashion.

Our 2-year-old daughter loved it. In January, we planted our tree in the back yard.

This seemed the eco-friendliest solution to the Christmas tree dilemma. Live trees may be drenched with pesticides, and artificial trees are made of plastic and other Earth-hostile materials.

We could have ordered an organic tree, but shipping is expensive and squanders fuel. This is the thing about living a greenish lifestyle: whether it’s a Christmas tree or a crib mattress, the Earth-friendliest choice often proves expensive and impractical.

We don’t want to turn our back yard into a mini tree farm. So this year we’ll buy a live tree. In January, we’ll recycle it. It may not be the greenest choice, but it seems right for our little family. Forgoing a tree altogether isn’t an option. I don’t want to throw Mother Earth under the bus because of the holidays, but I’m not willing to stomp the merry out of Christmas either.

We are going to try to keep trash to a minimum and resist buying too much stuff. I won’t drape our tree in tinsel like I did as a child, because that makes recycling difficult. We won’t hang lights all over our house, though I love it when our neighbors do. I’ll try to keep processed foods to a minimum, but we’ll have roast beast on Christmas Day.

Making Christmas fun for a child has its challenges even before considering the environment. I have my hands full just keeping some semblance of a schedule amid the parties, getting her to ingest the occasional green vegetable and snapping a photo of her with Santa before she realizes how frightening he is.

I’m tempted to forget the whole green thing and worry about it in January, like I do with my diet. But guilt is a powerful motivator, so I’ll do what I can.

Gifts
We’re buying them and receiving them. Three years ago, when the Diva was a newborn and I had just seen An Inconvenient Truth, I was resolute in my desire to scale down Christmas. The framed photos I sent my in-laws resulted in a scathing Christmas Eve e-mail demanding to know why we didn’t deem them worthy of real gifts. Message received.

Last year, I bought most of my gifts on etsy.com. They were handmade and, in many cases, made from recycled items. Feedback from recipients consisted mostly of chirping crickets. This year, I’m going to try Eco Bella, Eco Emporium and Evolve for nice gifts that don’t scream ORGANIC.

The Diva is only 3, and will be thrilled with anything her relatives send. The toys may be plastic, but as long as they’re not on the recall list, they’ll stay.

Christmas cards?
I’m sending a bunch. The kind made with paper that comes from slaughtered trees. Organic ink? I doubt it. Too pricey.

Wrapping paper
Gift bags are reusable, and those made of organic cotton are the best choice. But ripping open wrapping paper is way more fun than lifting a gift out of a bag. I’ll be wrapping my gifts and adorning them with ribbons and bows, but I’ll recycle the piles of paper we end up with on Christmas morning.

Food
I like making Christmas cookies and, hey, I use organic butter. This year, I may use fair trade sugar and cocoa. But my cookies won’t be whole grain, and I can’t promise I won’t succumb to the Publix bakery.

Traditionally, I don’t cook dinner during the holidays as a present to myself. This year, I plan to cook more. When we do eat out, we can choose places with Earth-friendly practices, such as Cakes & Ale and Leon’s, both in Decatur.

Before the Diva came along, these were my Christmas wishes: a few days off with my husband and a lavish brunch with my family while listening to Phil Spector’s Christmas Album. Such wishes were easily fulfilled.

Back then, I just did what I wanted to do. Now that I have a kid, I try to do everything right. Weighing the endless options to figure out what’s right gets exhausting.

This Christmas, instead of worrying about whether the orange in the toe of the Diva’s stocking was grown with pesticides, I want to admire the three stockings hanging on the mantle and just be thankful for all we have.

Patti Ghezzi lives in Avondale Estates and is founding partner of Greater Good Communication.