Green light is a go

When daylight becomes scarce, human tradition has been to keep a light burning to ward off spirits. Our modernized Yuletide take (PDF) has gone from electrifying the Douglas fir to stringing together light displays that an incoming airplane could use as a navigational guide.

The renewed environmental consciousness means a closer scrutiny of this festive illumination. One calcuation estimates a string of incandescent holiday lights puts out nearly 300 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions in one month.

Typical for the season, online searches for "christmas lights," "outdoor christmas lights," and "christmas light displays" have surged nearly 200% in the past 30 days. But fortunately for the planet, glowing green alternatives have also spiked -- "led christmas lights" are up, and "solar christmas lights peaked over 500%."

LEDs (or Light-Emitting Diodes, if you want to sound sexy when talking energy) have became the must-have lumen. They've been draped around the Toledo Zoo, Times Square, and the National Christmas Tree. New York City's Rockefeller Center not only has LED lights on the tree, but solar panels on top of the building to power the decorations.

In the "nice try" category, even fake trees come with LED lights. Might want to think twice about that one.

The Star Tribune breaks down the LED positives (energy savings, environmental friendliness, safety) and the relative negatives (brightness, faceted vs. smooth surfaces). As TreeHugger notes, affordability had dampened LEDs' green allure, but prices are dropping. Given one estimate that holiday lights will cost Americans about $43 billion this season, some folks may be willing to spring for the extra bucks: savvy shoppers have already been looking for "costco led christmas lights."

Recouping the costs may come faster, depending on rebates and where you live: Consumer Reports says that the cost of electricity saved may take a couple seasons to pay itself back, but Pacific Gas & Electric in California calculated a whopping $496.60 savings in one year alone. Besides, who skimps on a gift for Mother Earth?