More than any other symbol of Christmas, the poinsettia brings a magical feeling to me and tells me that it’s Christmas time. All the images in this collage were taken in a Loblaws supermarket with a beautiful selection of poinsettias of various colours. I added the greenery image with the Christmas ornament for contrast within the collage.
This really is my favourite Christmas shrub. While red is my favourite colour, I like to put a few of the other colours in with it as well when I’m decorating at Christmas time. The poinsettia takes its name from Joel Roberts Poinsett who was the first U.S. Ambassador to Mexico. I read that he first saw this plant in Taxco and was fascinated by its beauty. This was an interesting piece of information since I have visited Taxco myself. As they say, it’s a small world.
Many churches use poinsettias as part of their Christmas display and there is a beautiful legend which concerns a Christmas miracle. Hope you enjoy the collages and the story about this Poinsettia Miracle.
Legend of the Poinsettia
Mexican legend tells of a young girl who couldn’t afford a gift to leave at the manger scene of the local church one Christmas Eve. As she watched others give expensive presents, she was very sad and desperately wished she had something to leave for the Baby Jesus. Then an angel appeared to the girl and told her that even the most humble gift when given with love would be acceptable. The angel told the child to gather weeds and take them back to the manager. When the girl returned to the church, she lovingly placed the weeds by the manager and suddenly red “blossoms” sprouted and the weeds became beautiful poinsettias. It was a Christmas miracle.
The true miracle of Christmas is what joy we have in our own hearts and whether we can keep this joy for longer than just a day. “I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.” (Charles Dickens) Enjoy all the poinsettias this Christmas and the miracles big and small that come your way. Merry Christmas!
