The Christmas Rose, according to legend, sprung from the frozen soil of Bethlehem in the midnight hush that attended the Nativity. Especially in Germany, the rose is an emblem of Christ. Legend has it that the one of the shepherd women, too poor to give a gift to the Christ child, was visited by an angel who caused the herb to appear and burst into bloom--the Christmas Rose. The woman then offered the rose to the infant Jesus.
The Christmas Rose (helleborus niger) is not actually a rose at all but a perennial herb with lobed leaves and a white five-petaled flower. Because it blooms in the middle of the winter, it is often called the Christmas Rose.
The Poinsettia
Highly prized throughout Florida and widely beloved as a symbol of the Christmas season is the Poinsettia. No other flower can make such a brilliant show of bright red throughout the festive weeks of December and January.
The poinsettia, Euphorbia pulcherrima, is a member of the spurge family, which includes common ornamentals like crown-of-thorns, copper-leaf, castorbean and Florida's colorful crotons.
The legend of the poinsettia comes from Mexico. A charming story is told of Pepita, a poor Mexican girl who had no gift to present the Christ Child at Christmas Eve Services. As Pepita walked slowly to the chapel with her cousin Pedro, her heart was filled with sadness rather than joy.
Not knowing what else to do, Pepita knelt by the roadside and gathered a handful of common weeds, fashioning them into a small bouquet. Looking at the scraggly bunch of weeds, she felt more saddened and embarrassed than ever by the humbleness of her offering. She fought back a tear as she entered the small village chapel.
As she approached the alter, she felt her spirit lift as she knelt to lay the bouquet at the foot of the nativity scene.
Suddenly, the bouquet of weeds burst into blooms of brilliant red, and all who saw them were certain that they had witnessed a Christmas miracle right before their eyes.
From that day on, the bright red flowers were known as the Flores de Noche Buena, or Flowers of the Holy Night, for they bloomed each year during the Christmas season.
Holly
During the holidays, many folks love to drape their doorways and deck their halls with cheerful holly wreaths and garlands. These traditionalists may even sing wistfully of "The Holly and the Ivy" when they go out caroling.
As with most holiday symbols, this celebratory plant's original meaning has been buried under a myriad of cultural layers. The pagan Druids are believed to have been the first to take holly to heart. They viewed holly - with its cheerful propensity to remain green in winter - as a sacred plant, designed to keep the earth beautiful even as north winds howled and snow blanketed the landscape. They wore sprigs of holly in their hair when they went into the forest to watch their priests cut the sacred mistletoe.
The Romans, meanwhile, bequeathed the creation of holly to their god Saturn and used it in great abundance during their raucous Saturnalia festival. Romans gave one another holly wreaths and carried them about decorating images of Saturn with it.
Centuries later, in December, while other Romans continued their pagan worship, Christians celebrated the birth of Jesus. To avoid persecution, they decked their homes with Saturnalia holly. As Christian numbers increased and their customs prevailed, holly lost its pagan association and became a symbol of Christmas.
The plant has come to stand for peace and joy, people often settle arguments under a holly tree. Holly is believed to frighten off witches and protect the home from thunder and lightning. In West England it is said sprigs of holly around a young girl's bed on Christmas Eve are suppose to keep away mischievous little goblins. In Germany, a piece that has been used in church decorations is regarded as a charm against lightning. In England, British farmers put sprigs of holly on their beehives. On the first Christmas, they believed, the bees hummed in honor of the Christ Child. The English also mention the "he holly and the she holly" as being the determining factor in who will rule the household in the following year, the "she holly" having smooth leaves and the "he holly" having prickly ones. Other beliefs included putting a sprig of holly on the bedpost to bring sweet dreams and making a tonic from holly to cure a cough. All of these references give light to "decking the halls with boughs of holly."
The Candy cane
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