Show f y MANY unusual and picturesque tales have been told about the modern usage of ot Christmas flowers Although they are legendary the carefully spun bits of ot folklore provide pro pro- vide a colorful background for present pres press ent day flower decorations which are arc used during the Christmas sea son Holly with its red berries dark green leaves and needle like spikes is a lighthearted light hearted symbol of ot friendship friend ship and good will when December arrives According to legend though holly originally was used as an In instrument ins in- strument of ot cruelty The crown of ot thorns which Christ wore was fashioned fash toned from holly Prior to the Crucifixion Crucifixion Cruci the plant bore white berries but after the Crucifixion the berries turned a bloody crimson Mistletoe a close associate of ot holly is said to have been the wood from which Christs Christ's cross ClOSS was made One of ot the most beautiful legends woven around Christmas flowers their recent Introduction In the beginning of ot the last century the poinsettia was Introduced by J J. J R. R Poinsett an American politician and diplomat Fol Fo years evergreens have flourished flours flour In homes at Christmastide to create a woodsy outdoor atmos phere In the aged ged line hang up the holly the tho box and the bay It Is significant to note that two of the plants mentioned box and bay are mentioned in Holy Scriptures as os thriving on the mountains of Lebanon Lebanon Le Le- banon in the Holy Land Because of its symmetrical leaves bay has been used for design throughout the ages The Greeks used Jt tt on their coins and the Romans Romans Ro Ro- mans too favored it as os a beautiful show piece Today bay shrubbery graces the entrances to many American Amer ican scan homes at yuletide Cedar which furnishes greens for Christmas likewise existed in Le Le- banon The people of ot Lebanon re- re f 1 k t concerns the Christmas rose While en route to Bethlehem the Wise Men crossed the path of a little shep step shepherdess shepherdess named Madelon Enraptured Enraptured Enraptured at the wondrous tale about the birth of ot Christ which they related re re- related she was heartbroken because she had no gift to offer While she was crying she detected a sweet-smelling sweet aroma and looked up Standing next to her was was' an angel who inquired the reason for her sadness Madelon explained that while she wanted to pay homage to the newly-born newly Babe she didn't even have a single beautiful flower such ouch as grew in the fields in the summer to give Him The angel waved her arm and a stunning bunch of gorgeous snowy white Christmas roses appeared Madelon gathered her precious gift in her hel arms and of off oft to Bethlehem where the Wise Men had gone After the Wise Mens Men's offerings of gold frankincense and myrrh she humbly preferred her flowers to the tiny Infant who stretched cut ca cuta caa a hand to touch the roses His lIis fingers lightly brushed the immaculate immaculate immaculate late petals and immediately they ch changed to a delicate pink Poinsettias which head the popularity popularity larity list of ot Christmas flowers bowers Iron Ironically ironically tally enough do hot not Have any legends leg ends attached to hem them because of cedar as' as asla a symbol of endurance endurance endurance endur endur- ance strength life lite and eternity Recognized by its characteristic pleasant aroma cedar also was an emblem of purity because its treetops treetops tree tree- tops were frequently covered with snow during a large part of ot the year An time old favorite of sailors I who visited Mediterranean ports was Rosemary because of ot the aromatic I perfume the plant yielded Familiar Familiar to most Americans as a straggling hedge plant Rosemary droops in massive festoons 12 feet long in its native Italy Legend has it that the flowers were colorless until the Blessed Virgin during the flight Into Egypt hung the clothes of Jesus on Rosemary bushes to dry Thereafter Rosemary Rosemary Rosemary Rose Rose- mary bushes blossomed forth with their sparkling blue flowers I The Hawthorn bush with its white or or red flowers originally was theMay the theMay theMay May tree of ot the Old World Peculiarly the bush never blooms in May According to historians Joseph Joseph Jos Jos- eph of Arimathea went to England and on the completion of his pil pU- pilgrimage grimage at the Abbey of ot Glastonbury Glastonbury Glaston Glaston- bury he pushed his staff into the ground where it burst forth leaves and flowers Since then the Hawthorn Hawthorn Haw Haw- thorn bush always flowers at Christmastide Christ Christ- which is out of its regu regular regular lar season |