Every day until Christmas (unless I get bored with it) I'm going to do an entry on festive foods. Today's entry is mistletoe.

Yes, boys and girls, the New York Times has reported that mistletoe is not as lethal as people seem to think. In one study:

Eight of 10 people who consumed five or more berries had no symptoms, and 3 of the 11 people who consumed only leaves had upset stomachs.

Of course, this was a 1996 study of 92 people.

So eat all the mistletoe berries you want. Ha ha. Just kidding. Just understand that it may be more deadly to kiss a co-worker under the mistletoe at the office Christmas party than to eat the plant.

Wondering why anyone would eat mistletoe in the first place?

I'm not even going to go there.

(Scary photo courtesy of the USDA Forest Service)