Christmas Trees and the Legend of the Poinsettia

There is just something about seeing an underwear Christmas tree at the grocery store that really amused me!

Since I am posting Christmas trees, here is ours this year. That, and about a dozen poinsettias was my decorating in a nutshell. Oh, and of course the nativity scene to cover my catholic guilt for a year. I did not realize until I moved here that poinsettias are native to southern Mexico/Central America. The spanish translation for poinsettias is Flores de Noche Buena. Noche Buena means Holy Night, which is what they call Christmas Eve.

The legend of the poinsettia is about a poor Mexican girl named Pepita who had no gift to present the Christ Child at Christmas Eve Services. As Pepita walked slowly to the chapel with her cousin Pedro, her heart was filled with sadness rather than joy.
"I am sure, Pepita, that even the most humble gift, if given in love, will be acceptable in His eyes," said Pedro.
Not knowing what else to do, Pepita knelt by the roadside and gathered a handful of common weeds, fashioning them into a small bouquet. Looking at the scraggly bunch of weeds, she felt more saddened and embarrassed than ever by her offering. She fought tears as she entered the small village chapel.
As she approached the alter, she remembered Pedro's kind words: "Even the most humble gift, if given in love, will be acceptable in His eyes." She felt her spirit lift as she knelt to lay the bouquet at the foot of the nativity scene.
Suddenly, the bouquet of weeds burst into blooms of brilliant red, and all who saw them were certain that they had witnessed a Christmas miracle right before their eyes.
From that day on, the bright red flowers were known as the Flores de Noche Buena for they bloomed each year during the Christmas season.

How come I didn't think of that??

A friend told me this story a couple of nights ago. I really don't know if it is true or not, I tried to research it a little on the net and came up with nothing, but it is genius marketing nonetheless. Supposedly in the 1970's, Corona was looking for ways to expand their market to the vacationing gringos. What they ended up doing was making a deal with the airlines and they placed cards in all the seats on flights to Mexico with frequently used phrases or words and the spanish translation. It was like this;

Good Morning--- Buenas Dias

Good Afternoon ---Buenas Tardes

Yes/No--- Si/No

Thank You--- Gracias

Please ---Por Favor,

And so on.

The list ended with;

Beer--- Corona

Apparently they went to number one in no time. I really hope that person got a bonus!

8 things about me; by Chili

Chili here and this is my list of "8 random facts";

1. I grew up humbly on a rundown ranch in Bastrop, TX. I know, hard to tell by my regal manner, but I did leave it at 6 weeks of age.

2. I used to do missionary work, at least that is what I considered it to be. I worked with cattle in south Texas. Overall they were nice creatures, but not really that bright. They had to be shown how to walk as a group!! And not just once, EVERY DAY! Amazing they have made it so many years.

3. I was a fishing guide on Lake Conroe in Texas. This was done gratis as well. Some of the best fishermen currently on the lake learned from me! They would pick me up at the house and I would go help them out for the day. A few times I even had to dive in and grab the fish for them because it came off the hook. Why humans must complicate things and use a string and hook is beyond me. Simply, if you see a fish, jump in and snatch it up! You have opposable thumbs, how hard can it be!!

4. I like soccer, even though I do not know much about it. I am a native Texan, afterall, where football is king! Juan, the boy next door, lets me play soccer with he and his friends sometimes and it is fun. Of course, I am partial to any game that involves balls. I do like playing with the kids too, adult humans tend to wear out faster.

5. I am bi-racial. True, I am pure australian cattle dog, but my dad was a blue merle and my mom was a red merle. I am told it was quite scandalous at the time.

6. I have peed on the side of the road in 4 states in the USA and 2 states in Mexico and I am only 3 years old!

7. I like martinis. I tend to stop people in their tracks when they see me sitting in a barstool and drinking one without spilling a drop or turning the glass over.

8. I love water. It is great to swim in, there are fish and birds. Other dogs and their humans tend to go there as well. Love it.

9. Some call me obsessive about balls. I prefer "focused".

10. I really like cats. My colleagues that are purists will most likely scoff at me because we are not supposed to like anything that refuses to comply to our herding directions, but they really do have their charms. Some of my best friends have been feline. Hanging out with cats probably helped me adjust to life here in 'Manana-land'. After all, I never met a cat that got in a hurry about anything except for maybe dinner.

(BTW- Sans forgot this in her previous post: There are a few rules one must follow to play the game. When tagged, you must link to the person who tagged you. Then post the rules before your list, and list eight random things about yourself. At the end of the post, you must tag and link to eight other people.)