Poisonous Holiday Plants

The specialty food store was lined from the parking lot to the front door with bushy red poinsettias, fragrant wreaths of cedar or pine, and bunches of mistletoe.  It was a veritable Christmas umbrage – a “green-carpet” leading into the store.  I was overjoyed!  The holidays and traditional foliage had arrived, including Christmas trees and holly garlands.  Children scampered past paying little heed to the greenery lining their pathway and hands never failed to reach out, slapping at the nearest plant as the corner was turned.  I began to wonder, where would that hand go next?  Inside a mouth, most likely, came the answer.  Then horror struck and I began to wonder how many of these holiday plants so thoughtfully placed along the ground, eye level with and certainly within every child’s reach, were poisonous. Christmas brings traditional plants associated with the holiday, not frequently seen during any other time of year.  Several of these plants can be dangerous if th

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Handling Holiday Stress

My dog needed his walk this afternoon so I grabbed the leash and headed toward the beach. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one enjoying the warmer temps outside. Several dog owners were out, strolling along the beach with smiles on their faces. One such person stopped me in passing and exasperated, uttered one sentence, “Enough! Enough! Thanksgiving just blends into Christmas…” (I’ve never met this woman before today). Interesting, she felt the need to express her consternation with a total stranger. Talk about being stressed out!

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