Nochebuena

I was delighted to see my friend Minna Van (The Network Hub) grab a couple of poinsettias for the office, and I made a comment that, in reality, poinsettias’ name should not be poinsettias but Nochebuenas. It actually pisses me off that people don’t realize that nochebuenas (aka poinsettias) are indigenous to Mexico (Wikipedia entry here should you require more information).

As indicated by the entry (and something I knew since the very first time I visited the US)

The name “poinsettia” is after Joel Roberts Poinsett, the first United States Minister to Mexico, who introduced the plant into the US in 1828.

Euphorbia pulcherrima (Noche Buena) has been associated with Christmas celebrations since the early 16th century, and for me, the flower itself brings a feel of warmth and love. Coincidentally, the name “Noche Buena” (Good Night) (the name of the flower is nochebuena altogether, without a hyphen nor a space in between) is also the celebration of Christmas Eve. The tradition in my family (and this is done both in Spain and in Mexico) is to have dinner with family on the 24th of December, then open presents and stay up and party until the wee hours of the morning.

Since we are celebrating with families that have little children, I seriously doubt we’ll be partying until the wee hours of the night. But one thing I can tell you – it’s going to be a great Christmas dinner. I have family spread in several countries (Canada, the US and Mexico), friends all over the world, but on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, I feel as though we are all still connected.

Feliz Navidad, everyone.

Most of the posts between December 20th and Jan 4th are pre-written and pre-scheduled. I will probably be unable to check for comments that are queued for approval, so please be patient. Still, I do look forward to reading any and all comments you all may have while I’m disconnected. Have a wonderful holiday!

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