What do we call that blossoming plant with beautiful red and green foliage, that we use to decorate our houses with in the weeks leading up to Christmas?
This traditional holiday house plant is named after the first US Ambassador to Mexico, Joel Roberts Poinsett. He was into botany, and as he was searching for new plant species, he made this very important find.
If you look up the pronunciation of the word in the dictionary, you’ll find two variants, one with the regular spelling (/ˌpɔɪnˈsɛ.tɪə/) and one that corresponds to the spelling poinsetta (/ˌpɔɪnˈsɛ.tə/). So, in essence, both versions are acceptable.
With this dose of Christmas trivia put to rest, the cheesy Christmas tunes filling the air and the glittering lights of the festive décor across campus punctuating our last days at work before our winter break with joy and cheer, join us in ushering in a very special edition of Christmas on Campus!
The official opening of Christmas on Campus is being held on Wednesday 9 December at 12:30, and will be live-streamed on the University of Malta Facebook page for you to watch from wherever you are. You can help make this a real Christmas for our beneficiaries, L-Istrina and id-Dar tal-Providenza.
Poinsettias are being sold in two sizes, small for EUR 3 each, and large for EUR 4.50 each, by the UM Chaplaincy. They come in three colours; red, white and pink.
Book yours by sending an email between 1 December and 6 December, and then you may collect your order on 10 and 11 December. Delivery service will be available upon request.
Stay tuned for this year’s activities, including a Car Wash Day, a Wear Your Red Sweater To Work Day, two Park and Donate days, and an online competition, among others.
We’ll keep you updated as the month progresses and we inch closer to Yuletide.
