The holidays are here. For real. We actually woke up this morning a little freaked out. No matter which December holiday you celebrate, it's coming. And fast!

We've got presents to buy (and make), dinners to plan, lots of wrapping to do, and we haven't even decorated our place yet. We figure a lot of you are in the same boat -- so we thought we'd put all of our holiday tips and tricks right here in one post. Hopefully it'll save everyone some time!

Our best tips for a green holiday are after the jump.

• Pick an organic or naturally-grown tree.

• Fashion your own "tree" tree out of things you have at home.

• Try a modern alternative.

• Make your own decorations.

• Try an LED Menorah.

• Or make a recycle bin advent calendar.

• First of all, don't buy anyone anything on our Holiday Gift Black List.

• Consider shopping for handmade gifts on Etsy ... or make your own with help from Sew, Mama, Sew!

• You could go really extreme and forget traditional gifts altogether?

• But most of us won't -- so, once the shopping is over, make sure to try one of our green wrapping ideas.

This guide to green giving is sponsored by:

top image via net efekt: Flickr.com