Ideal Bite

I'm surprised you listed poinsettias, they have a very large carbon footprint. They aren't native to America. There is a lot of wasted energy in growing a potted poinsettia, from the potting soil, to the transportation and don't forget the plastic pot. Unless you are buying a locally grown one - which is not easy - I's day skip it.

I am a Professional Organizer www.extremeorganizing.com and I always encourage my clients to use natural decorations. Besides the natural beauty and green advantages, there are less Holiday decorations to store. In this case less really is more!!

Are you kidding? You are recommending hot house grown grown tropicals as an eco-wise choice??? Somebody didn't do their research. Shame, shame.....feel the cyber finger wag.

Love the idea of using natural items - pinecones, greens, live plants, etc.- but people need to be certain that they aren't selecting things that might harm family pets (or children). While beautiful, pointsettias can be very toxic to pets. Mistletoe, even more so. Even paperwhite bulbs can be extremely problematic for if a pet decides to make a snack of them.

I always had issues with poinsettas and mistletoe, but it was always more personal than environmental. But to mention what I do use: pine tips, pears (the light green with a hint of red is beautiful), squashes, and twigs. All the glitz comes from candles and glass.

these plants are poisonous. be very careful.

Just a reminder, be careful if you have pets. Poinsettas are very poisonous to pets!

I have a lovely wreath made by a lady in Peoria, AZ. She makes them out of material left over from sequin-punches. They come in all sorts of colors & she strings them with lights. They are very durable & if stored carefully will probably last forever. It's a wonderful way to recycle material that otherwise would end up in landfills. I don't know how she came up with the idea but I think it's great. I'm not sure if she's still making them but if anyone in the area is interested I'll drive by her place & see if she has them sitting out. Actually there might be contact info on the wreath I have. If interested in buying one, let me know.

It's a common urban legend that poinsettias are poisonous. http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/p/poinsettias.htm (If you don't like that web site, google it and you'll find others.) That doesn't mean that they are edible exactly, out of tens of thousands of cases of poinsetta ingestion, not one resulted in poisoning.

How about adding the Rosemary Holiday Tree as a centerpiece. It lasts with care. BTW There's a great website with some green gift ideas called " Tara Kits". Check it out at tarakits.com. I plan on orering the birdwatching kit for my mother and for a friend. Seems it's in line with your philophy.