One of the beauties of poinsettias is how long they last. Last year in the third week of January, almost one month into winter, pots of huge white poinsettias were still beautiful in my living room. 

Bought the week of Thanksgiving at a local home improvement store, these large white poinsettias were in my heated living room for almost two months when these photos were taken.

New Address Sign | Country House

Addresses are hard to find for houses along rural roads in the countryside. Half of the mailboxes with house addresses are not on the same side of the street as the house since all boxes are on one side of the road. Our mailbox with our house number stands across the country road to our house. 

Seeing our house street number wasn't a problem for over 30 years since the only people visiting us were personal friends and family. Whenever someone new was coming to our house, we gave them explicit instructions and directions about how to find our house. 

But, with the explosion of online shopping in recent years, FedEx and UPS delivery drivers need to find our house. Unfortunately, the drivers sometimes deliver our packages to our neighbors across the street where our mailbox stands next to theirs or to neighbors down the road. 

Our cedar house sits on two acres. We are lucky some delivery drivers find the house and deliver our packages without a problem. 

Christmas Ivy Wreath

Fresh greenery is my favorite style for Christmas decor. And ivy topiaries in the shape of a wreath are at the top of my go-to Christmas fresh greenery. 

Every season during the year has specific flowers and plants that are synonymous with that time of year. Wreaths are one of the most recognizable symbols of Christmas decorations and often are the first sign of the Christmas holidays. Cities and businesses add wreaths to front doors, street lamps, and windows. 

Homeowners also hang wreaths on front doors and windows. And on gates, fences, car grills, fireplaces,...  EVERYWHERE. Wreaths are made of evergreens, pinecones, artificial berries, FEATHERS, but all proclaim Christmas. 

For me, a live ivy topiary in the shape of a wreath is Christmas. Some years I add a sparkly ornament dangling inside the wreath to add more Christmas. 

Z is for Ziva Paperwhites

Just as certain recipes evoke memories of Christmas, specific flowers immediately bring Christmas to mind, also. Z is for Ziva Paperwhites is the final post in the series of Christmas traditions from A to Z since it's not Christmas at my house without paperwhites in bloom.   

is for Ziva Paperwhites.

Each year as I make plans for celebrating Christmas, I order Ziva Paperwhite bulbs to force into bloom in time for decorating for Christmas. The bulbs must be planted six weeks before the plant blooms. 

Therefore, it is too late to plant paperwhite blooms for this Christmas, but not too late to enjoy seeing paperwhites used in Christmas decorations. 

Y is for Yule Log Cake

Christmas traditions add joy, laughter, sparkle, and continuity to the season. In the list of 26 traditions from A to Z, Y is for Yule Log Cake. No holiday season is complete without delicious signature recipes that represent the holiday.  

is for Yule Log Cake.  

The origin of yule log cake stems from burning yule logs that once were part of celebrations of Winter Solstice by pagans. Like many Christmas traditions, burning a yule log first appeared in 17th century German writings. 

From the tradition of burning yule logs, the French created a yule log cake in the shape of a log during the 19th century. Now Bûche de Noël or yule log cake is a Christmas tradition in France. France is renowned for delicious recipes that gain popularity across the world, and Bûche de Noël is now a widespread Christmas tradition not just in France.