Star-shaped flowers grew wild along the streets of a small town in Mexico. Despite their natural beauty, poinsettias were considered weeds since they were so plentiful. That was, until one little girl made them history.
A young girl named Pepita was on her way to a Christmas Eve service with her cousin Pablo. On their walk to the chapel, the little girl expressed great sadness because she was very poor and had no money to buy a gift to place at the manager scene as was tradition. Comforting her, Pablo told Pepita that no matter the price, if given with love, whatever she could give would seen as a great gift.
Pepita looked to her left and looked to her right and the plants she had previously seen as weeds, suddenly struck a chord in her heart. Although they were weeds, she thought, at the very least, she could place a bouquet of them by the manager scene as a humble gift. Although she was crying, without hesitation, Pepita gathered a handful of the native plants and continued on her walk to the chapel.
Still saddened that she did not have a proper gift for the service, Pepita looked down at the ground with embarrassment as she placed the poinsettias at the manger scene. As she wiped tears from her eyes, she remembered what her cousin Pablo had told her. The gift wasn’t valuable in the traditional sense, but it was given with her whole heart. When she remembered this, the bouquet of weeds suddenly turned from drab to a brilliant shade of red in front of all the townspeople who had also gathered to celebrate Christmas. Stunned by what could only be seen as a Christmas miracle, the red flowers became known as the Flores de Noche Buena (or Flowers of the Holy Night).
Looking for poinsettias to fill brighten your home after Christmas? Visit us January 2 to pick up yours during our huge After-Christmas Sale.