By Trudy Whitman

It’s beginning to look a lot like a red, green (as in eco-friendly), and Creem Christmas on Atlantic Avenue! The message is that if you set sail for Atlantic, you can meet all your shopping needs, avoiding both your car and the maddening Manhattan holiday crowds. Below are a few highlights:

The Atlantic Avenue Local Development Corporation (AALDC) is offering Brooklynites a gift box brimming with events. On Thursday, December 3, at 6 p.m., at the Belarusian Church on Atlantic and Bond Street, it’s all about the lights. The annual Tree Lighting Ceremony — at which Council Member David Yassky flips the switch — is sponsored by Marathon Bank. It is free and open to the public, with complimentary holiday treats provided by Atlantic Avenue’s restaurants and shops. Join students from P.S. 38 and P.S. 261 in holiday song, and watch the antics of the children’s musical group Rolie Polie Guacamole. (Pssst! It’s rumored that Santa Claus will also make an appearance!)

Atlantic Avenue’s annual Holiday Window Design Competition will focus on going green. The 2009 panel of judges is a veritable Who’s Who of artists: stage and screen actor Hope Davis (God of Carnage, In Treatment�); world-renowned choreographer Mark Morris; children’s author Tad Hills (Duck and Goose); and costume and jewelry designer Kate Cusack.

Your vote counts, too. Holiday shoppers are invited to vote for their favorites at ballot boxes available in Atlantic Avenue shops. The People’s Choice Award winner will receive a gift basket from Sahadi’s, 187 Atlantic Avenue.

Just a few of the eco-friendly gifts available on Atlantic Avenue are Ecowrist watches made in South America using bamboo, nuts, and leather (Gumbo, # 493); wax linen bracelets handcrafted by Thai villagers (Kimera, #366); and a bicycle chain photo frame (Annie’s Blue Ribbon General Store, 365 State at Atlantic).

One highlight of the last Boerum Hill House Tour was a peek at the bi-level Deity lounge and the owner’s above-the-store apartment at 368 Atlantic. I’m recalling animal prints, red velvet, and very low lights — something a little to the right of decadent. On Thursday, December 10, 5-10 p.m., Deity will offer unique Design and Dine experience, serving a $25 prix fixe menu upstairs — including complimentary cocktails of Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur and champagne — while also presenting local clothing, jewelry, and accessory designers downstairs.

While there, look for clothing by Cobble Hill’s Raina Blyer. Blyer has just launched her movement-inspired Creem collection, a spin-off of the Ryann clothing line. All are made from sustainable materials and are produced locally by fair trade labor.

You prefer tea over ginger liqueur? How about a Holiday Tea Dance at Creative Arts Studio featuring a ballroom dance lesson with Laurie Shayler, director of Dance Connection? On December 13, 4-7 p.m., Creative Arts morphs into the Stardust Ballroom. After the lesson, dance away to Swing, Latin, and Ballroom music. Creative Arts Studio is at 310 Atlantic Avenue. For reservations call 718 797-5600.

It’s the busiest time of year for the Brooklyn Youth Chorus. This renowned group, whose classrooms and rehearsal spaces are on Pacific Street in Cobble Hill but whose choristers come from every corner of our borough, created the musical backdrop for four performances of Really Real at BAM’s Next Wave Festival this month, and are practicing their scales for the MetroTech Holiday Tree Lighting on December 1, the Brooklyn Museum’s Target First Saturdays on December 5, and the New York Public Library’s Annual Open House on December 6.

Practice, practice, practice — that’s how you get to Carnegie Hall — and BYC is there on December 13, performing along with the likes of the Orchestra of St. Luke’s and soprano Dawn Upshaw in John Adams’s El Niño. Adams, a Pulitzer Prize winner, is one of this country’s most celebrated living composers.

Holiday Harmonies, BYC’s annual concert, is a neighborhood favorite. Holiday Harmonies takes place this season on December 18 and 19 at Our Lady of Lebanon Cathedral, 113 Remsen Street. For curtain times, prices, reservations, and other details, consult the BYC website at www.brooklynyouthchorus.org.

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