Poinsettia...

The lovely festive poinsettia comes from Mexico, where it is known as "Noche Buena" which means Christmas Eve.

It is closely linked to the Christmas story in Mexico. The story goes that a little shepherd girl saw the Christmas star and realised that a special baby had been born. She wanted to celebrate his birth but was too poor to have any gift to give him. As she sat crying because of this, an angel came to her and told her to gather up some weeds from the roadside and place them at the church altar. When she did so, crimson "blossoms" sprouted from the weeds and they turned into beautiful poinsettias. Monks in Mexico still include these lovely colourful plants in their Christmas services.

This particular poinsettia only came from M&S but it is bringing a little Mexican magic into my home! :)