Well, there are 15 days until Christmas and Audrey II, my enormous green pointsettia from last year, still only has one red leaf. This despite everyone lavishing care upon her (even my visiting in-laws who were roped into pulling her in and out of the closet on schedule when they stayed upstairs). I bought a new white pointsettia today and perhaps will ultimately display Audrey with artificial flowers tucked amid her ample foliage.
I pushed for a NO PRESENTS policy this Christmas but received too much negative feedback on this idea to have it fly (mainly from Joel). But I've tried to keep things suitable for the current economic clime, such as making a pair of wool slippers for my father by buying a wool sweater at the thrift shop, shrinking/felting it, cutting it into pieces, and sewing them together (twice, when the first ones turned out too large). I also knit something for Liv that took two months part-time and am now trying to finish something for Norris that is only about 1/3 done. So, lots of things that are inexpensive, meaningful, but time-consuming!
Yes, my mother was right and trying to make the fabled pointsettia bloom a second year was not worth the time. Here (right) is the only real red half-flower. 
