No, not that kind of holiday blues. Poinsettia blues. I know these novelty colors have been around for a few years and it's got to be because consumers want them, but geez, are these two the ugliest things you've ever seen or what? I won't say where I found them, but it doesn't matter. Screaming shades of neon-bright poinsettias are everywhere.
Sometimes American consumers are so crass. Even if you're sick to death of seeing them at this time of year, poinsettias are actually very pretty plants. The traditional ones, I mean, the rich red ones. And I can't be totally crazy, at least on this point, because red remains the best-selling color of all.
Better than blue or purple. Better than orange or yellow. I can hardly write those colors without grimmacing. I like the cream-colored ones and the salmon and maroon, and the marbled blends. The speckled ones look like they were left in a room being painted and got splattered.
I do like the plant's size and shape, tips and angles. And nothing looks prettier in a house at Christmas time than groupings of poinsettias. But novelty shades leave me cold. No, freezing! They say all the wrong things about this holiday, which isn't unusual. Not much about Christmas feels much like Christmas anymore.
Against the modern current, I am determined to preserve some customs in their pristine state. Next time I'm passing through my local garden center or Home Depot, and those tacky-colored poinsettias catch my eye, I'm going to motor on past till I get to a sea of tradition.
Like so:
