HOLIDAY GIFTS FROM NATURE AT THE MORTON ARBORETUM

Celebrate Trees And Nature This Holiday Season With Exceptional Gifts

LISLE, IL (November 3, 2010) - Give a piece of the Arboretum as a holiday gift this year! Among the new gift options in the Arboretum Store, an exclusive collection of ornaments made from Arboretum trees felled by age or weather.

“We have many different designs made with a variety of woods, including exotic varieties such as Turkish hazelnut and Peking lilac,” says Arboretum Store Manager Jacqueline Fucilla. Each ornament has its own color, texture and style, and all were made exclusively for the Arboretum. Prices range from $25-$42.

The Arboretum Store offers quite a few other nature-themed gifts.

 They’re eye-catchers for sure: runners and placemats made from cross-section slices of salvaged tree trunks and branches! These products reveal trees’ beauty beneath the bark. No two items are alike! Lighter-colored birch and caramel-colored ginkgo patterns are available. Clean up is a snap, just use a damp cloth. Placemats are $14 and runners are $54. Also available: doormats for $60.

Did you hear about the Vandalia frontiersman in the 1840s that used an unconventional method to capture Christmas dinner? The tale of the drunken turkey will leave anyone in stitches! Find out more about this and other interesting tales, poems, news reports, memoirs, recipes and images in the new book: “Christmas in Illinois.” Make the gift extra personal on December 4 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. when the book’s author, Jim Ballowe, visits the Arboretum Store to autograph copies of this treasured holiday collection. “Christmas in Illinois” costs $29.95.

Everyone’s favorite holiday scent returns! Thymes’ Frasier Fir line of candles, bar or dish soap, lotions, home diffusers and more brings the smell of winter indoors with the combination of fir, cedar and sandalwood scents. Prices range from $12 to $65.

A holiday card everyone wants to get in the mail! This year’s exclusive Arboretum holiday card set features Arboretum majestic Scots pines on the cover and a lovely message on the inside. The cards are printed locally on recycled paper. A boxed set is $18.

Beautiful plates for decor or everyday use! Peggy Karr’s Winter Garden glass plates with festive red, white, and green poinsettias and amaryllis in a bright and colorful bouquet. They are dishwasher safe and come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Prices range from $65- $98.

Great little stocking stuffers! Adorable, leather key chains, bracelets, coin purses and regular purses that are hand-tooled and painted. The bracelets carry floral designs, while the coin purses, key chains and larger purses are designed as whimsical animals. Prices range from $8-$95.

The Snow Friends melamine dish line features a tranquil winter scene of a country snowman and his chickadee friends on a variety of plates, trays, baking tins, teabag holders and more! Prices range from $4-$24.

Handmade in Minnesota, felted Snowmen and Santas will add holiday delight to your home this season. These charming figures come in a variety of colors and range in size from six to 11 inches. Prices range from $20-$60.

The Arboretum offers free gate admission every day after 4 p.m., from the day after Thanksgiving through Christmas, so that shoppers may access the Store at no charge. Other parts of the Arboretum may be closed at that time.

And finally, the gift that's always the right size and color and can be enjoyed in all four seasons: a Morton Arboretum membership! Memberships provide free admission and parking 365 days a year, discounts in the Arboretum Store and on hundreds of Education Program courses, seminars and kids' camps, and preferred pricing for many special events. Memberships range from $65-$135. Order at www.mortonarb.org, or 630-719-2453.

The Morton Arboretum is a world-renowned leader in tree science and education, working to save and plant trees. The 1,700-acre outdoor museum features magnificent collections of 4,117 kinds of trees, shrubs, and other plants from around the world. The Arboretum's beautiful natural landscapes, gardens, research and education programs, and year-round family activities support its mission – the planting and conservation of trees and other plants for a greener, healthier, and more beautiful world. Conveniently located at I-88 and Rte. 53 in Lisle, Illinois, the Arboretum is open 7 days a week, 365 days a year, from 7 a.m. Central Time until sunset. The Children's Garden is open from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., March through October, and 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., November through February. Visit Press Room at www.mortonarb.org, call to learn more.

Media Contacts: Gina Tedesco, (office) 630-725-2103, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
                              Allison Phelps, (office) 630-719-5768, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it