Yes, I know we have not even gotten past Halloween yet, but Christmas is on your mind anyway, am I right? If you are one of the lucky ones that can stay focused on one holiday at a time, I am jealous but may I remind you, gently, that you will be thinking of tinsel and gifts soon?
So in the spirit of everything Christmas, have you thought about the Christmas Tree you will put up this year? My parents always had a real tree for us kids, and my hubbs and I always have gotten a real Christmas Tree every year too. My daughter would never have it any other way. But I have thought many times of getting an artificial tree for reasons like less mess, instant set-up ( some trees even come with lights already attached?!), no drying out and loose needles falling about, and we could put it up earlier and leave it up longer, if we wanted to. But like I said, my daughter would never ever let an artificial tree enter our house...so we stayed with the real thing each year so far.
But now with all the latest news about the health hazards associated with the plastic PVC, which has been called the most toxic plastic, I am so happy my daughter kept us on the real Christmas Tree program. So this year before you decide on what kind of Christmas Tree you'll put up, remember that older artificial Christmas Trees are most likely made with PVC plastic.
At Healthychild.org, an article discusses the potential dangers associated with PVC and artificial Christmas Trees. PVC contains significant amounts of lead as a stabilizer. Foundation E.A.R.T.H. has discovered that, as plastic artificial Christmas trees trees age, they release lead dust, which can collect on tree branches and even on the floor beneath the tree. Most of the plastic trees come from China and may exceed U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recommendations for lead levels in consumer products. We all know how toxic Lead is, and that it has the potential of producing long-term behavioral and brain damage, even at low doses.
If you do use an artificial tree, don't let your children touch or handle a plastic tree or crawl underneath it. Don't keep presents underneath it either, as they will collect any lead dust that falls. And think about buying a fresh tree this year—it's a renewable resource that can be recycled!
More tips on keeping children lead-free can be found at Healthychild.org.