Poinsettias Have Once Again Topped the Charts This Holiday season

Saturday, December 12th, 2009 | Shopping,Fashion,Budget

With the Christmas season approaching, it is not at all uncommon to start seeing stores setting up their Christmas displays. They are pulling out all of their synthetic tress, lights, ornaments, and decorations that are going to help get their customers in the shopping spirit. Everybody enjoys the lovely colors of Christmas with it reds, greens, whites, and silvers it tends to bring cheer to the shoppers and the need to spend to their hearts. However, when people asked what is the signifying staple that Christmas is on its way, most consumers said that it was the first shipment of holiday poinsettias.

See what most people did not know is that the poinsettia is not actually a flower at all. In fact, the poinsettia is actually a shrub that can grow up to ten feet tall and the beautiful red blossoms that people are attracted to are not really a blossom at all. They are modified leaves that have changed to the color of red, white, or pink. Although the poinsettia did not originate in the United States, it had its first introduction around 1825 and soon became the official Christmas flower. Over the past century, poinsettias have grossed more than 220 million dollars a year and that is only during the winter season.

Poinsettias originally grew in Mexico, but thanks to modern technology, poinsettias are grown and harvested in all fifty states, with California producing the majority. In contrary to popular belief, the poinsettia is not poisonous, as earlier believed. In fact, the poinsettia has undergone several tests and all of the results show that the milky white sap that a poinsettia produces can cause a skin irritation it does little else.

Although the poinsettia is the official Christmas flower, consumers will never find it mixed into a bouquet of Christmas Flowers. The poinsettia is not a flower, as mentioned earlier, and is unable to be properly manipulated to retain its life and color once it has been separated from the rest of the plant. However, a poinsettia can live much longer than any bouquet of flowers, which is why many stores start selling these potted plants in the early month of November. Even though there are over 100 varieties of the poinsettia, the traditional red poinsettia is most commonly sought after variety, while only a small number of consumers choose to purchase the white and pink variation.

Christmas is a beautiful time of the year that is packed full of both national, community, and family traditions. People enjoy spending time together and sharing their Christmas cheer with everyone that they meet. Unfortunately, Christmas only comes once a year and when it is over that cheerfulness disappears until the next year. Therefore, people need to go out and make the most out of Christmas this year and purchase their over sized Christmas trees, pretty wrapping paper, shiny bows, and vibrant poinsettias. Share the love and give the gift of Christmas.

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