Christmas Day is almost here. One of the handful of festivals that is celebrated in nearly every country. It’s also a day most of us keep aside for bonding with friends and family, partying with colleagues, decorating our homes, and ensuring that the chimney is clean enough should Santa decide to stop by.
The spirit of the 25th of December has been memorialized in countless books, movies, operas, jingles, advertisements, greeting cards, and in so many other ways. We associate this day with old memories as we wait for new experiences.
Come to think of it, the Christmas Tree is not the only connection that binds this day with shrubbery. Some of the earliest records that exist of Christmas celebrations share one common trait; a whole lot of flowers were once used to mark this occasion. These records also indicate how people resorted to using a clutch of nifty tricks to preserve these blossoms in the bitter winters.
Modern-day commemorations are much more industrialized. Most often, people end up drinking too much and lose the plot. If you truly want to challenge conventions, perhaps you too can use floral ideas and motifs on the 25th. Agreed, the carols and decorations will remain, but it might just make this year’s Christmas Day a lot more memorable than the preceding ones. Add the 2 horrendous years we have endured and the loved ones we have lost to an organism we cannot see to that.
Wondering how exactly this modified celebration mode can be implemented? Let’s break it down for you!
The Lotus Eaters
No, we aren’t referring to the mythical characters which have been part of popular culture over so many centuries. What we are trying to convey is that it does not take a lot of effort to have a great day using just flowers.
Imagination is what we need. That, and a good florist!
Here are a few ways to use blossoms to mark this day.
Decorations
All you require are several bouquets, some cut flowers, and wreaths.
Start with:
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Placing a magnificent wreath of magnolias and roses on the front door. Usually, white blooms are used for such types of floral arrangements, but nobody asked you to stop experimenting! So add bells, small knick-knacks, and trinkets to get extra volume.
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Of course, the Christmas Tree is the fulcrum of attention on this day, and it would be extra awesome if you added a few bunches of wildflowers and lilies. Both of them are mentioned in The Bible, with anemones (a type of red lily) specifically mentioned in Matthew 6:28-30. These were probably the ones referred to in ‘The Sermon of the Mount’ is a pretty compelling reason. Right?
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Having guests over at your place in the early evenings before it gets too crowded outside? While you can cook up a storm in the kitchen, add a few showstoppers in and around the living space, the study, the patio (if you have one), and the master bedroom.
If your guest list includes kids, set aside some space for them so that they can have their not-so-subtle conferences. It sounds tougher than it is. Arrange for some seasonal flowers, preferably arranged in a recognizable shape, and spread them around carefully. It’s somewhat akin to the tactical moves made by 2 of the most memorable characters (John McClane/Bruce Willis and Hans Gruber/Alan Rickman) in the Christmas classic, ‘Die Hard.’
Ask your florist for a few suggestions. That will save you time and fetch some excellent advice too.
Set Up A Magical Dining Table
Okay, everything is going smoothly. Your guests have started coming in, some carrying a bottle of bubbly, some flowers, and some warmth. The food can wait a while. Light up a scented candle – one that has a lavender or a rose base. It adds another floral special to the goings-on. Once the bubbly and the other spirits hit home, it’s almost dinnertime.
Please use your best cutlery and wine glasses or champagne flutes. A rose in every corner of the table adds a bit more color, although you can ditch them if they get in the way.
Instead, why not add a more personal touch by ‘reserving’ a seat for your guests with a handwritten note and a pink or yellow rose to go with it? Turn to poinsettias if roses seem cliche. Orchids too are highly recommended.
One last thing. If you are planning to decorate the dining room (or the table itself) with bespoke or even handcrafted bouquets, always place them 2-3 inches below eye level. The reason? Well, if the arrangement is a bit too high, it will be more of a barrier between your guests who will have a tough time moving, positioning, and repositioning them each time the banter gets going.
3 more ways to use flowers
How can Christmas be complete without gifts?
Cut flowers and petals should ideally be made available in good numbers for non-specific uses since they don’t make for good gifts. But the kids might love them!
Instead,
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Offer tailor-made bouquets to your guests. For best results, bouquets should have a mixed palette of perennial favorites like Christmas cacti, anemones, and dahlias alongside seasonal species including crocuses, Rosemary, and Amaryllis. Add chocolates and dry fruits and you have your DIY combos ideal for both pals and business contacts.
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Gift discount coupons for the biggest e-commerce sites or floral subscriptions that are offered by online retailers specializing only in flowers and sundry gifts.
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You can surprise your friends and family (plus office colleagues & even your boss) if you use your imagination. We started with it, remember?
If you are good with using your hands and crafting stuff, it’s easy to create bespoke gifts. A bit of chamomile or bee balm tea here, a dash of white pansies and chive blossoms for garnishing food, and a bunch of marigolds for your gardening fanatic friends (these flowers suppress weeds and are a farmer’s all-natural mate) on top and you have a positively awesome box of goodies!
3 Christmas flowers to usher in the Yuletide spirit
Don’t have a florist nearby? It’s best if you purchase saplings from established outlets and start taking care of them from around the end of August or so.
By the time the big day arrives, you should have dew-fresh flowers in full bloom.
1. Poinsettia
One of the few flowers associated with Christmas around the world, these are easy to take care of and grow well indoors. While the red Poinsettia flowers are the commonest, mottled white, pink, and yellow blooms are too good-looking to ignore.
Just make sure that the sapling is planted in a round vase as it prevents overflow of water while retaining just enough to keep the infant hydrated. Placing them near windows accelerates their photosynthesis rates. One major advantage of growing Poinsettias indoors – or in your private garden – is that they stay fresh for months. They bloom every year provided you keep adding organic or commercial fertilizers.
2. Cyclamen
One of the most beloved flowers with a clear tie to The Bible, cyclamens are found across Europe, North America, parts of South America, the Middle East, and even northern African nations. There are 23 species of these blooms, and the easiest to grow and maintain are the ‘Ivy-Leaved’ cyclamen and cyclamen hederifolium.
Although these are perennial shrubs, they flower during the colder months. The saplings will come in round or square vases, usually ceramic ones. Don’t place them under direct or harsh lights. LEDs and UV light strips can do the trick. These plants require daily watering, but never spray from the top.
Keep the vase free of fungal growth; it’s easy to spot the tell-tale white patches. Once the temperatures start dropping, the flowers come alive. Cyclamens bloom for 4-8 weeks.
3. Azalea
We included this one because the saplings don’t cost a bomb. Many others do. Azaleas are rhododendrons and very hardy. While they grow fairly well in nature, they will bloom around the 3rd week of December.
Just keep them at room temperature and water the baby Azaleas once per week. As they grow, you can take the shrub and dip it in water for better growth. The oddly sweet and citrus smell tingles the olfactory systems and these rhododendrons have been known for their aphrodisiac nature for several hundred centuries.
A bouquet of white Azaleas will be appreciated by almost everyone. On the downside, Azaleas rarely bloom again.
Before we leave…
You now have several ideas for celebrating the 25th day of December with flowers being your primary props.
It’s all nice and fancy, but Christmas is more about the spirit of the season and less about the day itself.
The best gift possible is kindness
You might as well distribute beautiful roses or jasmines or orchids (or even a fully decorated Tree) to the less privileged and the ones who have been spat out by the grinding machine called modern society.
Spread the spirit!
