I was given a beautiful Poinsettia the other day at work - just a friendly reminder that they are poisonous and to take care of any fallen leaves. We played it safe and gave the plant to a family member.

Actually, poinsettias aren't poisonous. They are only mildly toxic when ingested. See these links:
 
http://urbanlegends.about.com/od/christmaslore/p/Poinsettias-Poisonous-Myth.htm
 
http://www.ibtimes.com/national-poinsettia-day-2013-are-poinsettias-really-poisonous-cats-humans-signs-your-pet-has-been
 
http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/p/poinsettias.htm
 
Not that you want to let your pet eat any part of a poinsettia   .

Good to know! Mildly toxic - definitely not a good thing though!  Here's a snippet I found online about holiday plants - other plants that are more dangerous!

Source: http://www.petpoisonhelpline.com/2011/02/are-poinsettias-poisonous-to-cats-dogs/

Far more worrisome are holiday bouquets containing lilies, holly or mistletoe. Even bouquets brought into the house by holiday guests should be thoroughly inspected, as lilies are the #1 flower often used by florists. Just one or two bites from a lily can result in severe acute kidney failure in cats – even the pollen is thought to be poisonous! Other yuletide pants such as holly berries, mistletoe, and rosemary can also be toxic to dogs and cats. When Christmas or English holly is ingested, it can result in severe gastrointestinal upset thanks to the spiny leaves and the potentially toxic substances (including saponins, methylxanthines, and cyanogens). If ingested, most dogs and cats lip smack, drool, and head shake excessively due to the mechanical injury from the spiny leaves. As for mistletoe, most of us hang it high enough so it’s out of reach of our dogs and cats – nevertheless, it can also be toxic if ingested. Thankfully, American mistletoe is less toxic than the European varieties of it. Mild signs of gastrointestinal irritation are seen, although if ingested in large amounts, collapse, hypotension, ataxia (walking drunk), seizures and death have also been reported.

While discussing holiday decor, stay away from tinsel too!

techigirl78 wrote:

While discussing holiday decor, stay away from tinsel too!

Ohhhh yeah! I remember growing up our cats would always play with tinsel, luckily it always passed through their systems however it can be dangerous if it doesn't. Watch out for ornaments, we caught Paige chewing on a plastic ornament yesterday. It looked like a traditional candy in a wrapper (oversized of course), so to her in retrospect - it probably looked like a dog bone hanging on the tree. Happy to report she is fine, and the small amount she chewed off has passed.