If you are staying home for the holidays and looking for a way to
make home bloom with color without involving the electric bill,
consider using Christmas Flowers.
Do not just look at those steeped in tradition. Other flowers not often
thought of at Christmas time can still make your holidays glisten.
Everybody is, of course, familiar with the poinsettia. In addition
to the traditional red, the poinsettia now comes in white and pink.
Utilize each different poinsettia color to create a stunning display in
any area of your home or office. It is an inexpensive way to make the
holiday spirit come alive.
The poinsettia also has a rich history. It starts with the Aztec
culture that commonly referred to the plant by the name of Cuetlaxochtl
that translates into “skin flower” or “flower of leather petals”. This
culture looked to the poinsettia as a symbol of purity and new life.
Aztec legend says that warriors who died in battle would return to
earth to sip the poinsettia’s nectar. Another culture to honor the
poinsettia is the Mexicans. Here the flower is referred to as “The
Flower of the Holy Night”. During the 14th to 16th century, red dye
from the plant was utilized to create fever reducing medication. This
is how the plant now became known as the “Christmas Flower” throughout
North America.
Another favorite Christmas Flower is the Christmas cactus. It comes in a wide variety of colors,
including red, white, pink, violet, yellow and salmon. Each color can
create quite an exciting display when clustered together. A great
display location for this colorful arrangement would be in a foyer or
other prominent corner of the room. This flower is a great selection
for a hanging Christmas Gift Basket. It also goes by the name ‘orchid cactus’ whose sweeping arms design has been known to produce over 100 blossoms per plant.
Add an unusual touch to your Christmas Gift Basket display by choosing some Star of Bethlehem blossoms to decorate your
home. A flower from the lily family, the Star of Bethlehem has more
elongated petals than other variations of lilies. Pure white, the Star
of Bethlehem is native to Illinois, as well as Europe and parts of the
Middle East.
Consider a rather unknown flower such as the protea. These come in a
gallant array of bold colors, with petals that make crown-like displays
around their large eyes. Legend has it that the flower got its name
from the Greek god Proteus, who was known to come to earth in various
shapes. The protea can also come in other shapes. Online retailers such
as 1800flowers.com can help create the perfect gifts for loved ones.
Consider the following Christmas flowers:

Mistletoe
Some species of mistletoe are evergreens. They are
parasitic plants that grow on trees such as oak or apple. They have
beautiful green leaves and white or yellowish berries. A sacred plant
for both the Norse and the Celts, mistletoe has been adopted into the
Christmas decorating tradition. Kissing under the mistletoe is a custom
dating back at least to the early 17th century. The man is supposed to
pluck a berry when he kisses a woman under the mistletoe and when all
the berries are gone, no more kissing takes place.
Holly

The
Christmas colours of green and red are derived from the colours of the
European holly plant, with its spiky green leaves and bright red
berries. The custom of decorating with holly probably goes back to the
Roman festival of Saturnalia, a precursor to Christmas.
Christmas Trees
The
decoration of Christmas trees goes back to Roman times and was
introduced into England from Germany soon after Queen Victoria's
marriage to Prince Albert. Evergreen branches are also used to decorate
homes, and give off that wonderful Christmasy scent.
Poinsettia
Is
a plant known for its bright festive display of colour right around
Christmastime. There is a Mexican legend that a young girl walking to
Christmas mass was upset because she had no appropriate offering. She
was told that even a humble gift was acceptable if given with the
proper spirit. So she picked some weeds from the side of the road.

When
she took them to the church, they burst into coloured Christmas miracle.
Amaryllis
Actually
the holiday flower is a hippeastrum, though popularly called an
amaryllis (a related flower native to Africa). It is grown from a bulb
and blooms around Christmas time. They come in a variety of sizes and
colours.
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