Sharing an Earth-friendly Christmas feast

As family and friends gather for holiday meals, you might consider creating a deliciously eco-friendly spread for the table. Some traditional dishes require a lot of resources, but it's pretty easy to find alternatives.

Here are some ideas for an Earth-friendly Christmas dinner:

Look for sustainable, locally grown foods and go organic when you can. Search Local Harvest and the Eat Well Guide to find stores and farms in your area that have fresh produce and meats raised without antibiotics.

The holidays can be a time of over-indulgence, but we can have our treats without going crazy too. The Vegetarian Kitchen has useful tips for eating healthy at holiday meals, including ingredients to substitute in recipes so you get flavor with as much fat.

If your Christmas guest list includes vegetarians and omnivores, the Good Karma Café's tips for feeding vegetarians will come in handy.

In fact, a semi-vegetarian or all-meatless meal is quite festive and kind to the planet. Meat production creates as much greenhouse gases as driving cars, so why not skip the Christmas ham this year and make savory harvest pot pies or rich spinach lasagna?

The Veggie Table has a host of Christmas recipes including roasted chestnuts, winter squash risotto, eggplant gratin, and ginger-brandy cheesecake.

VegSource lists separate menus for an American country Christmas, an English-style Christmas, and a Christmas Eve in southern Italy.

And nothing compliments a good meal like a fine glass of wine. Low Impact Living explains the designations behind organic wines, so you'll know what you're buying.

Yahoo! Food also recommends 12 great biodynamic wines. These are vintages grown as part of a harmonic ecosystem without pesticides.

Don't forget dessert -- About.com has dozens of yummy vegan cookie recipes!