Christmas is frequently heralded at our home by the purchase of poinsettias. They are beautiful flowers that originated in Mexico and which really have no business hanging out in the snow and cold of Utah. We buy new ones every year to help support the local economy and because we can’t keep them alive for more than a month. When the poinsettias die the last vestiges of Christmas are gone. By now the decorations are gone, the lights are down, all the kids new toys are broken, and the tree is put away, but Christmas lingers on as long as the poinsettias are still alive.
Ironically, this year we were not meant to wait for the slow poinsettia death where the leaves fall off one by one as we forget to water the plant each day. Instead, the Roomba, one of Callie’s Christmas presents, took it out in one fatal blow when it slammed into a four foot tall picture frame sending the frame to the floor on top of the poinsettia. Then the Roomba got stuck so it decided to eat the curtains. Bad Roomba, bad.
The carnage was horrible. Poinsettia parts were everywhere. Christmas is officially over at our house.