Decking, Decking.......

Yes, I am finally Decking my Halls...

with boughs of Pointsettias.

I bought some very beautiful pointsettias

at Tai Pan this year.

Believe it or not I was feeling red.

Those of you who know me,

know I usually stick to whites and golds or silver

with a splash of red or green.

Not this year. In fact I bought some fresh pointsettias

last night and chose a red and a white instead of the usual just white,

while I watched my friend Kris choose two red.

It's a start anyway to break the fear of color I have.

Since I am using this beautiful flower, I decided to look up the reason pointsettias are always so prevalant at Christmas.

Poinsettia Legend

A ancient legend connected the poinsettia with Jesus' birth. A young brother and sister had nothing to offer to baby Jesus at Christmas. They took the long way to church hoping to find something along the way. Desperately, they picked up some green leafy weeds and brought them into the church.

The children entered the church and laid the weeds at the feet of the baby Jesus. The weed suddenly erupted into sparkling red blooms that overshadowed all the baby Jesus' other gifts, and the children rejoiced.

These poinsettias are large and in charge of my mantel.
I also found these gold pinecones and snowflakes

I wish I had a few of these guys... I bought him on clearance several years ago

and unfortunately he had no friends

The poinsettias have a velvet texture and are very rich looking up close and personal

The lighted flocked garland I got at Shinodas several years ago.  I wish I had more of that.

On to the Banister.....
I carried over my poinsettia theme but by the time I realized I loved the

look of the pointsettias, Tai Pan was out so I picked up it's cousin.

I found some really pretty wired velvet ribbon too.

and golden pinecones

So I will continue my decking and hopefully have it done soon. 

But even a little decking goes a long way.

I will leave you with the rest of the history of the pointsettias

Poinsettia and Jesus' Birth and Crucifixion

The poinsettia with its star shaped foliage pattern has been connected with the Star of Bethlehem shining at the birth of Jesus (Matthew 2:1-21). The poinsettia's blood red leaves symbolize the blood sacrificed for love of God.

Centuries after American Joel Roberts Poinsett rediscovered a plant known to Mexicans for generations, people all over the world continue to enjoy the fiery poinsettia during the holiday season, though they may not know its Christian meaning or colorful history.