The holidays always bring a rush of excitement and anticipation. And dread. Sometimes more of the latter than the first two. Will there be enough time to get everything done? Most people would answer with an emphatic "NEVER!" capital letters and all.

Each year I plan more and more in advance, marking off dates on the calendar for decorating and baking. It's getting to the point where I'm blocking out weekends a year in advance, which takes some of the magic out of the season.

Of course, you don't really need to plan that far ahead to get your tree and your other holiday plants. It doesn't work that way because plants don't care about calendars and how busy you are. Sort of like kids and cats.

I vacillate every year about getting a tree. Usually by the time I finally decide, it's New Year's Eve and trees are really hard to come by. So I make the resolution to resolve the tree issue earlier in December. It doesn't help.

On the other hand, I tend to load up on poinsettias and other holiday plants like cyclamen and cactus.

First, my cats tend not to bat the plants all to pieces. Without any shiny metallic objects dangling from their leaves, the plants are uninteresting to my felines. Oh, the little one will sniff it, and see if it will fight back, but poinsettias have the opossum gene deeply imbedded and they do nothing. So do the cats.

Not a single cat person has ever called me and asked if poinsettias are poisonous to their cats. Dog owners, on the other hand, call all the time. If my two fur balls could talk, they'd have some catty remarks about the dogs. This being the season of good will and tidings, we'll just let it pass.

All plants are poisonous, or can be. Even grass. I personally think beets are poisonous. Have you ever known someone to live 150 years eating beets? No? I thought so. They have a delayed reaction that may take a couple years to kick in, but it does kick in.

My comment about poisonous goes to the point that someone could be allergic to the plant, and in that case, it is toxic to him or her. Or their dog.

As of this writing, there has been no documented case of someone dying from eating a poinsettia. People were taught for years that the plant was deadly, based partially on an unsubstantiated claim from Hawaii about a half-century ago.

Back in the 70s, some florist from Ohio went on TV and ate a plant, and didn't die. Of course, he didn't eat beets beforehand as that might have skewed the results. He didn't die, but the poison myth still lives on and on.

This does NOT mean you should run out and eat the plant, make a salad out of the leaves, or steam the leaves with a little juice. The plant was not meant to be eaten any more than bluegrass, maple leaves or petunia flowers are. We grow carrots, tomatoes, oranges and apples for eating. Poinsettias are for looking at. So are the other holiday plants.

The milky sap could cause some rashes on some people just like poison ivy does, though to a lesser extent. Still, white sap isn't the most appealing thing to see oozing from the plant when the leaves or stems are crushed.

Wash your hands or arms with soapy water if you get sap on them. Avoid sticking leaves into your mouth or up your nose. Keep Junior and Fido away from the plant.

Mistletoe is classified as poisonous, and if you eat it thinking you'll get more kisses that way, you're just plain stupid. Just keep it hung over your head.

Christmas cherries, which are more related to peppers than cherries, are also classified as poisonous. Definitely, you'll want to keep them away from kids, if you can even find the plants these days. True Christmas peppers are just a hot form of pepper, like a Habanero. Once eaten, the lesson is learned.

David Robson is an Extension Educator, Horticulture, at the Springfield Extension Center, University of Illinois Extension. You can write to Robson in care of Illinois Country Living, P.O. Box 3787, Springfield, IL 62708. Telephone: (217) 782-6515. E-Mail: robsond@mail.aces.uiuc.edu

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