Thanksgiving is not here yet and we have had our first burst of flurries in Chicago area. With the air getting cooler and the festivities approaching, it is time to surround ourselves with as much warmth as we can get. Family, friends, food, flowers and lots of good wishes starting at Thanksgiving will help us sail through the dreary days of winter.
The stores are already stocked with Christmas decorations and the air is waft with the smell of cinnamon. Soon every store will be displaying lovely potted Poinsettia, a familiar Christmas decoration in northern hemisphere. When I was in India, I had seen this shrub grow as tall as 12 feet and mostly with red bracts. These huge red bracts surrounding the real small yellow flowers form a beautiful star shaped pattern which is probably why it is said to symbolize the Star of Bethlehem. There are many stories associated with how Poinsettia became the Christmas flowers. The most prominent one tells about a poor Mexican child unable to buy any flowers for filling Christ child's manger on Christmas eve. Guided by an angel, the child picked weeds from roadside and put them in the manger where they turned into scarlet flowers. The Mexicans called these flowers : “Flor de la Noche Buena,” the Flower of Christmas Eve.
With a bright red and green color combination, these beautiful plants do add a warm look to the festive season. Take a look at some of my Christmas floral designs on Etsy where I have incorporated the red, greens and golds of the season.
