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#Post#: 21328--------------------------------------------------
Re: But you know that's not my Holiday.
By: GardenGal Date: December 12, 2018, 8:32 pm
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[quote author=lisastitch link=topic=870.msg21311#msg21311
date=1544657029]
[quote author=STiG link=topic=870.msg21259#msg21259
date=1544635653]
I'm pretty sure poinsettias are forced to produce their colour
at Christmas, with keeping them in the dark and so on.
Christmas cactus is not; they natural bloom at Christmas,
probably because of the change in light levels. I'm thinking
they'd bloom the end of June in Australia. We always had forced
amaryllis bulbs at Christmas. Which reminds me... I need to
plant the ones I brought in from the garden.
[/quote]
Actually, they aren't forced. They need a long dark night (so,
wintertime), with bright sunny days for the bracts to turn
colors. Red is the most common, but there are pink and white
poinsettias too.
When I was growing up in southern California, my parents had
poinsettias along one side of the house that were 8 or 10 feet
tall--they reached the roof line--and they naturally turned red.
That's why I don't like to have poinsettias--I don't have any
place to plant them after Christmas, and hate to throw a living
plant away! Even though I don't have much luck with most house
plants, it takes serious neglect to kill a poinsettia!
[/quote]
I used to live in Encinitas, CA, where the Ecke family worked
tremendously hard to promote potted poinsettias as Christmas
plants. At one point, about 95% of the poinsettias sold in the
US originated at the Ecke Ranch. They started in the 1950s or
1960s by giving a great many plants to each of the popular TV
show hosts, like Johnny Carson, to use as set decoration. I've
visited their growing grounds, and the plants are definitely
forced to come into bloom by rigorously controlling the amount
of light they get (only a few seconds of a bright light on a
dark night can initiate the leaves to color up, apparently).
They are pretty much thought of in the floral trade as
short-lived houseplants, and are not expected to live more than
a few weeks (you should really think of them more like a bouquet
than a regular potted plant like pothos). Planted in the garden
they will color up starting around Thanksgiving time (at least
in my garden), but the Eckes needed to ship their plants
nationwide and had a forcing schedule to make sure the ones
trucked to Connecticut were brightly colored when they arrived,
no matter what the date. They even bred different types to look
better under florescent lights (for sale in office supply
stores) or incandescent lights (for sale in supermarkets). The
full story is fascinating and very complex. They were always
promoted as Christmas decor, and as an atheist I always
associated them with Christmas. Here in So. California, I've
seen white-flowered poinsettias sprayed with blue paint and
glitter, a ghastly sight, which I can only imagine is intended
to fit with the blue associated with Chanukah.
#Post#: 21329--------------------------------------------------
Re: But you know that's not my Holiday.
By: TootsNYC Date: December 12, 2018, 8:35 pm
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[quote author=SureJan link=topic=870.msg21240#msg21240
date=1544630279]
As someone who was raised as a Christian, I find this
fascinating - growing up our church altar was positively covered
in Pointsettias for Christmas and aside from the palms used in
conjunction with Palm Sunday, frankly I can’t think of a plant
that has more direct “Christian connotation” (for me)
However leaving aside the question of “is it a
Christian/Christmas” symbol it seems really poorly planned out
to give live plants as a gift especially one that has such a
reputation for being toxic to pets.
[/quote]
Our altar is covered with them as well, but I never think of
them as having a RELIGIOUS connotation the way a Christmas tree
does (we've invented a story for the trees).
I never heard any religious legend around it (there is one for
candy canes; and it's from when they were invented, if I'm
remembering right).
I just thought they were like an amaryllis--they bloom about
now.
But yes, I think they do have a secular Christmas link.
#Post#: 21339--------------------------------------------------
Re: But you know that's not my Holiday.
By: Dazi Date: December 12, 2018, 9:19 pm
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I look at it like this, the poinsettias were a gift. Whether the
receiver liked them or not is not the point. There was no ill
intention from this particular gift as far as I can tell. And
it is not polite to toss a gift in someone's face. It's a
houseplant, not a Bible or Rosary that might have a more
religious "I'm trying to convert the non-believers" undertone,
but an actual houseplant that just happens to be sold mostly
around Christmas because that is when it is most vibrant.
You thank the person, and then get rid of it if the gift is off
the mark. Whether that is giving it to someone else who might
enjoy it or tossing it it the bin when you get home is your
business. When did people forget this part of gift receiving
etiquette???
#Post#: 21342--------------------------------------------------
Re: But you know that's not my Holiday.
By: Rho Date: December 12, 2018, 11:11 pm
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Thank you for your thoughtful responses! Methinks this was a
cultural thing with Wacked Out Manager not realizing gift might
be offensive VS someone who was raised to think of Pointsettas
or snowmen with Holly on their hat bands as secular symbols of
one religion.
I hung on to that job for years by ignoring many offensive
actions and comments: Wacked Out Manager tossed a aluminum
decorative cross in the trash can, she told me she was positive
Baptism is a Jewish ritual.
#Post#: 21358--------------------------------------------------
Re: But you know that's not my Holiday.
By: camlan Date: December 13, 2018, 8:25 am
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[quote author=Rho link=topic=870.msg21200#msg21200
date=1544587301]
She was well aware 25% of the employees did not observe
Christmas yet purchased 12 magnificent Christmas Pointsettas and
placed them on a table for everyone to pick up one to take
home.
[/quote]
Bolding mine. The OP refers to the plants as Christmas
poinsettias. Which implies that there is a link, however faint,
to Christmas.
#Post#: 21362--------------------------------------------------
Re: But you know that's not my Holiday.
By: Songbird Date: December 13, 2018, 8:48 am
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In my job I sometimes receive gifts from vendors. One December
our vendor sent each of us a gift from a florist. It was a
centerpiece created from pine branches and those shiny glass
balls used for Christmas tree ornaments, clearly intended to be
used at Christmas dinner. I'm Jewish. I thanked the vendor and
gave the gift to a coworker who didn't do business with that
vendor.
#Post#: 21365--------------------------------------------------
Re: But you know that's not my Holiday.
By: Kimberami Date: December 13, 2018, 9:00 am
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Just for reference, I am not a Christian. I do exchange
Christmas gifts. I wouldn't be offended about a poinsettia, but
I wouldn't want one. I have cats. Cats and potted plants are not
a good match. Honestly, I can have cats or I can have nice
things. I've made my choice. :D Seriously, I always go away at
Christmas, and I wouldn't want it to be wasted while I was gone.
If I was gifted a live plant, I would do my best to quietly
find a new home for it. If none of my coworkers wanted a second
plant, then I would donate it to a local nursing home or the
hospital.
#Post#: 21366--------------------------------------------------
Re: But you know that's not my Holiday.
By: lowspark Date: December 13, 2018, 9:21 am
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[quote author=Irked Purist link=topic=870.msg21309#msg21309
date=1544656483]
From a severely-secularist viewpoint I can actually see wanting
to detatch as much from the symbols of secular-type Xmas as the
overtly religious ones, whether that stems from being of a
different faith, or just not liking/wanting any of it. And I
sympathise with anyone trying to make that break because it's
quite hard to accomplish and to explain without sounding like
it's massively more objectionable than it truly is, because
plants and snowmen and countless other symbols aren't religious-
nope, but they definitely are Xmassy.
[/quote]
The bolded hits the nail squarely on the head. For example, many
people do not think a Christmas tree is a religious symbol and
simply cannot understand why someone who is Jewish for example,
might not want one in their home.
To someone who is Christian and religious, a Christmas tree
might seem secular because it really is an aspect of the secular
celebration of Christmas rather than the religious celebration.
But from a totally non-Christian point of view, it is still an
aspect of Christmas.
It's understandable that a religious Christian differentiates
between religious and secular. But from a Jewish perspective,
that differentiation doesn't matter. It's still a symbol/ritual
of a holiday I don't celebrate.
But back to the OP, a poinsettia really wouldn't bother me a
bit. But if it did, I would just offer it up to the other people
in the office by saying it just wasn't my cup of tea. It's
easier and more polite than bringing up the religious aspect
which at best is difficult to explain, and at worst, ends up
offending people who did nothing wrong.
#Post#: 21369--------------------------------------------------
Re: But you know that's not my Holiday.
By: gramma dishes Date: December 13, 2018, 9:37 am
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[quote author=Dazi link=topic=870.msg21339#msg21339
date=1544671152]
... You thank the person, and then get rid of it if the gift is
off the mark. Whether that is giving it to someone else who
might enjoy it or tossing it it the bin when you get home is
your business. When did people forget this part of gift
receiving etiquette???
[/quote]
When I was reading that my first thought was "Good grief! How
awful for those poor people who take public transportation!
Trying to struggle with a poinsettia plant on a bus or commuter
train, or even walking with it TO the bus or train, would be a
nightmare!
#Post#: 21371--------------------------------------------------
Re: But you know that's not my Holiday.
By: gramma dishes Date: December 13, 2018, 9:41 am
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[quote author=Songbird link=topic=870.msg21362#msg21362
date=1544712518]
In my job I sometimes receive gifts from vendors. One December
our vendor sent each of us a gift from a florist. It was a
centerpiece created from pine branches and those shiny glass
balls used for Christmas tree ornaments, clearly intended to be
used at Christmas dinner. I'm Jewish. I thanked the vendor and
gave the gift to a coworker who didn't do business with that
vendor.
[/quote]
Honestly what you have described just sounds like an ordinary
winter flat-surface decoration to me! Unless the balls said
"Merry Christmas" or had pictures of the nativity scene on them,
I wouldn't necessarily think of them as being Christmasy as much
as just seasonal!
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