Decorating
with Holiday Flowers: Narcissus and Poinsettias
A few years back, my
friends and I went on our annual girlfriend weekend to tour historical homes
decorated for the holiday season. We always exchange a little something and one
friend gave us a narcissus (paperwhite) bulb in a glass vase with stones at the
bottom.
I was willing to follow the directions and help this
flower bloom, but knowing I had a terrible track record with flowers, wasn’t
optimistic. Imagine my surprise when a shoot and then another popped out of the
blub. A stem developed and then, flowers.
Poinsettias are known
for the red and green star-shaped foliage. Now, it comes in many colors other
than the traditional red. The plant originated in Mexico and Central America.
On line you can find directions on how to get them to bloom again the next year
which I successfully did. However, when I went to try again, I forgot to water
and yep, it died. Again, poor track record with plants.
My husband’s family has deep Texas roots. From Legends
of the Poinsettia by Betty Barton there is this entry: Our U.
S. Ambassador to Mexico from 1825 to 1830, Dr. Joel Robert Poinsett was
captivated by the beauty of “the Flower of the Holy Night.” He sent cuttings to
his friend Wilson Barton in South Carolina.
He was my husband’s great-grandfather
and is now buried in a cemetery outside of Burnet, Texas. He named the wild
Mexican plants “poinsettias” after Dr. Poinsett.
Cool, huh?
What else is cool? Why the holiday anthology, Season of
Surprises which features my romantic comedy short story, “Holiday Handbag
Extravaganza.”
Here’s a bit about it:
Christmas
Countdown is on! Hunk-a-licious customer, Jack Treadaway,
pesters boutique owner, Callie Woods, to locate a vintage handbag for his
mother. Too bad the wedge between them is his sister,
the meanest girl in town.
Award-winning author, Vicki Batman, has sold many romantic comedy works to the True
magazines, several publishers, and most recently, two romantic comedy mysteries
to The Wild Rose Press. She is a member of Romance Writers of America, Sisters
in Crime, and several writing groups. An avid Jazzerciser. Handbag lover.
Mahjong player. Yoga practitioner. Movie fan. Book devourer.
Chocoholic. Best Mom ever. And adores Handsome Hubby. Most days begin with
her hands set to the keyboard and thinking "What if??"
Find
Season of Surprises at:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Season-Surprises-Holiday-Box-Set-ebook/dp/B014LZJRVM/Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/season-of-surprises-holiday-box-set-merry-holly/1122604571?ean=2940152242966
Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/search?Query=season+of+surprises
iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1034934609
What is your favorite holiday decoration?
