For many a poinsettia really makes it seem like the holidays. Mom always had several around the house at Christmas, but I really fell under their spell one cold, grey, damp afternoon. It wasn’t too long after I moved here, and I needed some “pretty”. I stopped that dreary afternoon at La Crosse Floral to maybe buy a flower or two as a pick-me-up. It was just before dusk and I was the only person there. The man behind the counter sold me my flower and then said “You’ve really got to see this, it’s the perfect time”. So I followed him into the greenhouses and was amazed at what I saw. Rows and rows of poinsettias just beginning to turn: reds and whites and pinks, a glowing color mist in the gloomy light. It’s a sight I won’t forget!
I got to take part in delivering these cheerful plants with Operation Poinsettia again this year. Thanks to our sponsors the holidays will be brighter for our area seniors and as the folks working at the Hillview Health Care Center said: “A poinsettia says Christmas”.
