It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

First the trees go up. Then the lights go on the trees and the wreathes are hung on the doors. But we really know the holidays are here when the pointsettias arrive. Lush with vibrant red color, they bring everything together.

The pointsettia derives its English name from Joel Roberts Poinsett, who was born in Charleston in 1779. A distinguished statesman, Pointsett served his country as a U.S. Congressman, as Secretary of War, and as the first United States Minister to Mexico. It was while he was serving in Mexico that he came upon the "Flor de Noche Buena" (Christmas Eve Flower). A keen amateur botonist, Pointsett sent samples of the flower back to the U.S. The rest is history.