Tropical Flower Christmas Ornaments

There is a legend about a Mexican girl and the poinsettia flower. It goes like this:

Sometime in the 1500's, the little girl wanted to honor the Christ child with a gift. But, she was very poor, and was sad at heart, as she had nothing to give. An angel appeared to her, telling her to pick some weeds by the side of a certain road. She was to hold the weeds close to her heart as she carried them to the church.

The little girl did just as the angel ha said. She entered the church, holding her little bundle of weeds held close as close as she she could without crushig them. As she placed her bouquet lovingly at the alter, the miracle happened. The scraggly weeds miraculously blossomed with beautiful red flowers star shaped flowers, representing the Star of Bethlehem.

And that's how poinsettias came to be.

Some families have a tradition of obuying one special ornament each year. The collection that results from these annual purchases is lovingly passed down to the next generation, and they become real family treasures.

1 - Colors of hibiscus include white, yellow, pink, orange, red. and purple. Scientists in Texas developed a blue variety in 2010.

2 - The hibiscus flower is sometimes called the "Rose of Sharon," which symbolizes beauty and faithfulness.

3 - A more traditional meaning assigned to the flower is "delicate beauty."

4 - Many hibiscus species are like chameleons in that they change colors. Most changes are with the season or temperature. However, th Hibiscus mutabilis (common name: Confederate Rose) changes color with the time of day. In the morning, it's white, and turns pink by midday. By evening, it has become red.  

Aloha! Get in the spirit of Christmas - the smiling spirit of Hawaii, that is.

The unusual shape of the bloom of the exotic Bird of Paradise plant resembles a flying bird. This may be where it got its name.

The blossoms of the flowering tree called fangipani or plumeria have a sweet appearance, and make a nice addition to holiday decor.  Shown here are two pretty ornaments

The first is a wreath shaped piece, with three pale yellow flowers in the middle..  Though it's made of metal, it's a very light weight one.  Like the flower itself, it's small (about 2.5 " in diameter) but pretty.

Second is a hand blown ornament that does justice to the real thing.

After hand painting it, the artist added just enough glitter to give it a bit of a spakle.

At about 3" x 4", it's a good size for just about any branch of your tree.

It comes in its own box, which can be used to safely store it in from year to year, or that makes it ideal for gift giving.