Last-Minute Gifts, Essentials and Splurges

The holidays come in a flurry of paper cascading from mailboxes, piling up around christmas trees and cluttering mantelpieces. To help preserve forests, choose recycled-paper cards and stationary made from a high percentage of post-consumer waste (PCW) paper and/or tree-free fibers, such as hemp, kenaf, banana-stalk or bamboo, or even recycled blue jeans, dollar bills or green tea leaves. Once you're done with all the wrapping and writing, it's time for the stocking stuffers, the party gifts and the last minute splurges.

Cards

For greetings, Green Field sells "Peace" cards made from 100% recycled junk mail (5 for $5.95). See also their Grow-A-Note cards with wood-cut styled prints of reindeer, mountains and snowflakes in primary soy-ink colors, on 50 percent PCW recycled and 50 percent recovered cotton. Each card can be planted afterwards to grow wildflowers ($7.25 for a box of 8, www.greenfieldpaper.com).

Syracuse Cultural Workers Tools for Change sells pretty, multicultural cards with peace themes (between $8.95 and $10.95 for a box of 12) in recycled paper and the packaging is biodegradable cellophane. Their 2005 Peace Calendar is 50% PCW ($12.95), (www.syrculturalworkers.org, 315-474-1132).

For those who love New York, Psaris Productions sells boxes of recycled-paper cards with photographs of snowy city scenes, including red brick tenements, stoops and Greek Revival porches, yellow taxis and the Chrysler and Flatiron buildings, (12 cards for $11.95) at Hudson Papers, 212-229-1064 or House of Cards (houseofcards.citysearch.com, 212-675-6178,).

House of Cards also sells Kensington Cards's recycled-paper Japanese prints of bridges and mountains in snow, and screens of Japanese cranes on a gold background (10 for $10.95), and Pomegranate's recycled-paper cards for Sierra Club (www.sierraclub.org) , with photos of leaves and frost crystals or Yosemite scenes (20 cards for $15).

Another option: green and white holiday cards on 100% PCW paper from IIKH (8 for $10; twoKH.com, 212 675 9400).

Paper Gifts

Acorn Designs offers terrific 100% PCW or 100% tree-free notecards in a wide range of bird, botanical and animal prints, which can also be chosen for the covers of spiral-bound journals (6 for $7.50, www.acorndesigns.org).

Vickerey sells handsome tree-free artisan handcrafted journals ($15), and Mudlark's bold, cheerful Winter Song notecards from recycled paper in reusable boxes ($13 for 25 cards, www.vickerey.com/paperie-recycled).

Quest 100% PCW printer-ready stationery sheets come in speckled-egg earth tones ($13.90 for 100 sheets, envelopes separate, www.paperpresentation.com).

Wrap

For wrapping, the mystique of brown paper is embodied in Kraft; look for 100 percent recycled and 30 percent PCW. You or a child you know can personalize the wrap by drawing or rubber-stamping on it.

Ecosource has tree-free paper made from 40 percent flax, 40 percent hemp and 20 percent recovered cotton ($3.20 Canadian/sheet, www.islandnet.com/~ecodette/wrapping.htm).

"Mapwrap" is made from surplus New York City subway maps—let your package be your guide ($3 for 2 sheets, www.forestsaver.com).

Other options: Follow a Japanese tradition by using a square of cloth, called furoshiki, to wrap your presents-use reclaimed cloth, including old scarves, bandanas, shirts or pillowcases.

Last-Minute Gifts and Splurges

Deck your halls and tabletop with organic balsam wreaths and centerpieces from Darthia Farm ($32), which also makes fruitcake ($30), organic shortbread (1 1/2 lbs, $30), and organic gooseberry and currant jams ($34 for for both) (www.darthiafarm.com, 800-285-6234).

IIKH also sells bamboo nesting bowls (2" diameter for $6, 4" for $9, 5" for $12) as well as scarves ($88), hats ($68) and mittens ($72) made from recycled vintage cashmere (twoKH.com, 212 675 9400).

To grace a holiday table, order wild Alaskan smoked salmon, from healthy populations, from Alaska Smokehouse (www.sendsalmon.com) or Wild Alaska Smoked Salmon (www.smoked-fish.com).

Organic seasonal apples, pears, vegetables and gift baskets can be ordered nationwide from companies such as Callie’s Organics (www.calliesorganics.com) and Diamond Organics (www.diamondorganics.com) Gift boxes and baskets of baking mixes, cereals, beans, nuts, pasta and more can be ordered from The Women’s Bean Project, which helps low-income women develop work skills (www.womensbeanproject.org), Eden Foods (www.edenfoods.com) or Fiddler’s Green Farm (www.fiddlersgreenfarm.com).

For holiday parties, bring your hosts a bottle of organic vodka (www.rainvodka.com) wine (www.theorganicwinecompany.com or www.organicvintages.com) or a six-pack of refreshing Wolaver's organic beer (www.wolavers.com).

To spare paper, trees and wildlife habitat, give or get a French coffee press (www.crateandbarrell.com) or a reusable gold coffee filter (www.vtbeans.com) which work without disposable paper filters.