Amaryllis

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2010

Each year around Thanksgiving, Mommy "plants" a bulb for an amaryllis inside a neat glass container filled with rocks and a tiny bit of water. The idea is that by the time the flower blooms - it will be Christmas. Well, this - along with the Advent Calendar - has been a great thing to do each morning with Madison as she arises. Both mark the time rather well: the advent calendar is fairly obvious as each day passes by. And as each morning we rise, Mommy points out the stem of the amaryllis, and Madison sees how much it is growing upward. As of today, it is just starting to open, slowly peeking out for the first time. This flower has four blooms on it, although one year we had five. The thing is so big, it gets kind of top-heavy! But it is a tradition for us, and a simple one at that. Madison will get a kick out of the flower when she sees it bloom, especially because she knows that when that flower is in bloom, Christmas can't be far away!

"No, thank you, AMARYLLITH!" - Winthrop Paroo