The Christmas Flower

Poinsettias

by Martha Rogers        

The Poinsettia is a flower most associated with Christmas. As a little girl, I read a Childcraft Book about Christmas legends and the one about the Poinsettia stuck with me for all these years. You’ll find the legend at the end of the blog.

The plant is native to Mexico where it grows wild, and it was first introduced to the United States by Joel Poinsett. He was an amateur botanist as well as our first ambassador to Mexico. He brought cuttings of the plant home to his plantation in Greenwood, South Carolina in 1825.

December 12 is National Poinsettia Day, an official day set aside to enjoy this beautiful floral symbol of our Christmas season. It was established around 1851 upon the death of Mr. Poinsett to honor him and the plant he made famous.

The ancient Aztecs call the flower “cuetlaxochitl” and used them for many purposes during their winter flowering season. The “flower” is actually made up of special types of leaves known as bracts which change color as they mature. The bracts were used for making purple dye for clothes and cosmetics, and the white sap was used to treat fevers. Today that sap is known as latex.


Not all poinsettias are red. As seen in these pictures, they can be anything from white to pink to variegated. I tend more toward the red ones myself as they are lovely decorations both indoors and out.



Needless to say, all are beautiful.







Here is one way the flower is used for decorations in malls and parks. They do make a pretty tree.

Because my live ones always die quickly, I have four potted silk ones in my entry way. They look real enough and don't need to be watered. At least they won't die on me before Christmas.

Here is the legend as I remember it:

There was once a poor Mexican girl called Pepita who had no present to give the baby Jesus at the Christmas Eve Services. As Pepita walked to the chapel, with tears in her eyes, her cousin Pedro tried to cheer her up.

He said, “Pepita, I'm sure that even the smallest gift, given by someone who loves him will make Jesus Happy."

Pepita didn't know what she could give, but looked around and saw a patch of weeds. She picked a small handful of the weeds from the roadside and made them into a small bouquet. She felt embarrassed because she could only give this small present to Jesus. As she walked through the chapel to the altar, she remembered what Pedro had said. She began to feel better, and knelt down to put the bouquet at the bottom of the nativity scene. Suddenly, the bouquet of weeds burst into bright red flowers, and everyone who saw them were sure they had seen a miracle. From that day on, the bright red flowers were known as the 'Flores de Noche Buena', or 'Flowers of the Holy Night'.

 The shape of the poinsettia flower and leaves are sometimes thought of as a symbol of the Star of Bethlehem which led the Wise Men to Jesus. The red colored leaves symbolize the blood of Christ. The white leaves represent his purity. Coupled with the legend, this makes the plant a very good symbol for Christmas.

What is your favorite plant or greenery, live or silk, to use at Christmas? 

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Because of what happened to her father and mother during the War Between he States, Molly Whiteman hates guns, violence and war. Stefan Elliot is an officer in the U.S. Cavalry. When the two meet, sparks fly in their attraction to each other. Stefan returns to his regiment leaving Molly torn between her love for him and her deep feelings about guns and killing. Tragedy changes Molly’s heart and brings them back together, but will Molly's love be enough to overcome the depression that has made Stefan a recluse from society?

Martha Rogers is a free-lance writer and was named Writer of the Year at the Texas Christian Writers Conference in 2009 and writes a weekly devotional for ACFW. Martha and her husband Rex live in Houston where they enjoy spending time with their grandchildren.  A former English and Home Economics teacher, Martha loves to cook and experimenting with recipes and loves scrapbooking when she has time. She has written three series, Winds Across the Prairie and Seasons of the Heart and The Homeward Journey. Book three in that series, Love Never Fails, released in November, 2014.