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 consolingly.

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 the humbleness of her offering.
She fought back a tear 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,
or Flowers of the Holy Night, for they bloomed
each year during the Christmas season.

Today, the common name for this plant
is the poinsettia.





Page 2
"The History Of The Poinsettia"


"The Story Of The Candy Cane"


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