By Andrea Lucy, Experiential Learning Program Lead
Tis the season for celebration! Many holidays are celebrated with unique symbols decorations, foods, and even plants! You see them, and you immediately think of the holiday. For example, you will spot many Christmas trees, poinsettias (cuetlaxochitl), holly, and wreaths around this time of year.
Take a walk around your neighbourhood and search for these plants and other holiday decorations. My family and I had a great time doing this last year, and it encouraged us to get outside even in the cold! Feel free to share this and add your own squares to search for.
Which plants are part of your traditions? Think about the festive food and decor that remind you of this time of year. You can add them to this bingo sheet.
Plant fact: Poinsettias are one of the most popular purchased plants in Canada, especially around the cold Christmas season, but they are native to sunny Mexico. There’s a movement to reclaim its Aztec name “cuetlaxochitl” and Mexican heritage, long before U.S. Ambassador Joel Poinsett brought this plant north and gave it an English name. For more on the cultural history of poinsettias read Mike Kohfeld’s blog or watch a tour with a horticulturist at the San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers.