A Green Christmas: What You'll Really Pay

Eco-minded families may be dreaming of a green Christmas, but they'll pay a premium to make that dream a reality amid the recession this holiday season.

The options are diverse — everything from energy-efficient LED Christmas lights to organic candy canes. But how much more does an environmentally-friendly Christmas cost? SmartMoney.com went holiday shopping to find out. After comparing prices, we discovered that it’s not easy — or cheap — being green.

Order 100 holiday cards printed on recycled paper from TinyPrints and it will cost $137 — $8, or an extra 6%, more than the exact same cards printed on regular paper stock. A dozen organic candy canes? That’ll be an added $1.11, or 38%. Buy Junior a PlanToys wooden train set made with recycled Rubberwood and water-based paints and spend an extra $15, or 27%, compared with the Fisher-Price plastic Geotrax set.

Then there’s the biggest budget buster: energy-efficient holiday lights. At Christmaslights.com, a 24-foot string of 70 LED mini-lights costs $17.98, nearly $13 more than a string of 100 incandescent mini-lights. Buy around 400 lights for a six-foot tree, and you could end up spending an extra $87.80. Looking on the bright side, LED lights claim to be up to 90% more energy efficient than conventional holiday bulbs, which could translate into a monthly savings of $4 a month on your energy bill if you light your tree for 10 hours a day, according to the EnergyIdeas Clearinghouse, which is managed by Washington State University Extension Energy Program.

One environmentally-friendly purchase that won't cost more is a live Christmas tree that can be replanted in your yard or in a local park. The potted tree we found at Simonson Farms in Cranbury, N.J., cost $50, the same amount as a cut tree. (While you won’t find a tree with its roots at every corner tree lot, many tree farms do carry them.)

Our total bill — including gifts for the family, vegetable-based-ink recycled wrapping paper and an organic fruit cake – came to $2,116. Overall, our green Christmas cost 24% more than the conventional way to celebrate the holiday. (We didn't even delve into how much an organic holiday meal will run. Read our story here to find out how much more that would cost.)

The premiums we found at online retailers for eco-friendly products are fairly typical, according to Bob Schildgen, a founding director of the Green Chamber of Commerce, a lobbying and business organization that promotes environmental practices. It can cost anywhere from 10% to 40% more for any item that’s produced through a more environmentally-sound process, he says.