While attending a book fair in Southern California, I sat in on a wonderful storyteller. Hoping that your Christmas will be filled with warm memories and great stories to share!
Blue Monday with Sallie is a fun meme at http://smilingsally.blogspot.com
Mellow Yellow Monday is another fun meme at http://mellowyellowmonday.blogspot.com/
One favorite holiday book of mine is from Barefoot Books Publishers:
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| Ages 4-9 |
The Miracle of the First Poinsettia
A Mexican Christmas Story
Celebrate the season with this touching tale of the story behind the
first poinsettia in Mexico. Young Juanita may not have much money, but
she does have a lot of faith and her trust leads her right into a
miracle.
Written By: Joanne Oppenheim
Illustrated By: Fabian Negrin
http://ladyd.barefootbooks.com
I have visited the Paul Ecke Pointsettia ranch for many years. It is located nearby and more towards the ocean.
Poinsettias are synonymous with Christmas and the brightly colored plants are a sure sign that the Christmas season has begun. Poinsettias are also synonymous with the Paul Ecke Ranch, the world’s largest and most successful poinsettia breeder. The Paul Ecke Ranch has been growing and breeding poinsettias for almost 100 years! Today over half of all poinsettias sold worldwide have been bred by the Paul Ecke Ranch.For more history information, visit http://pauleckepoinsettias.com/history/
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.
"I am sure, Pepita, that even the most humble gift, if given in love, will be acceptable in His eyes," said Pedro consolingly.
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 altar, she remembered Pedro's kind words: "Even the most humble gift, if given in love, will be acceptable in His eyes." 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.
Today, the common name for this plant is the poinsettia!
http://pauleckepoinsettias.com/history/legend.aspx
Wishing you happiness around the table with family, friends and loved ones... and a very Merry Christmas!
Blessings,
“You can’t get a cup of tea big enough or a book long enough to suit me.” — C. S. Lewis
