Less is More this Holiday Season

During this holiday season, I promised myself I wouldn't go overboard with the greenery, wreaths, poinsettias and all the holiday decor like I normally do. 2025 was going to be the year where less was more; less clutter, less stress, less cleaning up pine needles and less spending. I will have to say that the "less" holiday endeavor was a resounding success I have to admit I had one guilty pleasure that I went a little overboard with. Amaryllis bulbs! Now I have always been a sucker for paperwhites during the holidays, but thanks to proper care and storage of last year's bulbs, I was able to enjoy paperwhites again this year without any extra expense. The Amaryllis on the other hand are another story.

I was doing a little holiday shopping at one of my several go to Garden Centers in town B.B. Barns when stumbled upon their beautiful selection of exquisite amaryllis bulbs, so of course I had to have one and so I splurged and bought one! One was certainly enough; this bulb was somewhere between the size of Asian pear and a cantaloupe. Feeling content and with my guilty pleasure in tow, I safely tucked her in the back seat of the car and headed over to North Asheville to battle the TJ's parking lot for some last-minute grocery shopping. After successfully maneuvering the ever so miniscule parking lot at Trader Joe's I was simply delighted to find even more Amaryllis blubs waiting at the front door for my choosing. Why just have one when you can have 3! So yes, I absolutely purchased 2 more. You see, they were all different varietals, and all were different in terms of their growing approach. Now I was into this and was ready to learn about these interesting bulbs. The one from B.B. Barns was simply a bulb, I was bringing it home and starting it the old-fashioned way in a glass container with a rock base and some water. However, of the two that came from TJ's, one was fully potted in a tidy little container and had moss covering the roots, and the other was a bulb coated in wax. I really didn't know how to care for the one coated in wax, so I took to googling. Did you know that you don't water them at all? Interesting huh?

I placed all three of my treasured baby bulbs on our family room coffee table in a little arrangement so I could collectively watch how they grew. I must admit, several weeks went by and there really wasn't any action at all. So, of course we went to the beach for a few days after Christmas and then they decided to move into action. When we returned, the TJ's bulb coated in wax was the first to bloom and boy was it a beauty a Clark! Much to my surprise the very next day the second bulb also bloomed, and it is the most magnificent color of deep red you have ever seen. Still waiting on my Asian pear to bloom, but while I patiently wait it continues to get taller and taller, growing 2x the height of the other two.

I hope you enjoy this picture of them as much as I have enjoyed splurging on them and watching them this holiday season. They are certainly one of my new favorite flowers! While the holidays are past us now, the beauty from the season remains for me to enjoy.

Happy 2026! May this year be filled with blessing and prosperity for each of you!

P.S. I even skipped the family holiday photo card this year and sent handwritten cards instead! It was liberating and I really enjoyed send personal messages to 100+ families that mean so much to me.