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COME DECEMBER, you’re almost guaranteed to catch sight of a poinsettia (or two, or three—hundred). They decorate homes, shops, and church altars, and appear in bright abundance, wrapped in foil, at supermarkets and nurseries throughout the country. The Mexican native (Euphorbia pulcherrima) is photoperiodic, meaning it blooms only when the days grow short during the colder months. And in the wild, its colors mirror classic holiday tones: green leaves and vivid-red bracts (modified leaves that resemble flower petals; the actual flowers are the tiny buds, called cyathia, in the center of the bracts). It’s no wonder they’ve become a symbol of the season.

But horticulturists are trying to broaden the plant’s horizons. “We challenge ourselves to see what we can hybridize,” says Ruth Kobayashi, breeding manager at Ecke Ranch, in Encinitas, California, Dümmen Orange’s largest poinsettia grower in the country. She and her colleagues cross different varieties to create ones the market hasn’t seen before; today, their offerings span sophisticated shades of red, white, pink, green, and gold. “Even with all the technology we have, we work within the framework of what nature allows,” Kobayashi says. “That’s the fun of it. Nature always surprises us.”

A Holiday Spectacular

1 ‘Peppermint Ruffles’ Large, with wavy pale- pink bracts

2 ‘Early Twilight’ A deep rosy-colored variety

3 ‘Jinglebell Rock’ Dramatic, with red and white variegation

4 ‘Envy’ Bright-chartreuse bracts

5 ‘Sparkling Punch’ Pink with striking white centers

6 ‘Autumn Leaves’ A breakthrough gold color for breeders

7 ‘Princettia Pink’ A pale-pink hybrid

8 ‘Premium Lipstick Pink’ Hot pink with dark veining

9 ‘Winter Rose’ White rosettes

10 ‘Princettia Dark Pink’ A hybrid with bright- fuchsia bracts

MAKE THEM LAST

“Poinsettias are pretty robust,” says Kobayashi. But to ensure they’ll last for weeks in your home, place them in indirect sunlight, away from heating vents or cold, drafty windows. “When the soil feels dry to the touch, water thoroughly, letting it drain,” she says. “Never let the pot sit in water.” If you’ll be using the plants as cut flowers, she recommends placing the stems un- der running water to let the milky sap run before adding them to an arrangement.

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CUE THE CONIFERS

Make your mantel look amazing with a colorful assortment of vintage and inexpensive evergreens. The bottlebrush variety are readily available online and at crafts stores; the miniature ones were plucked from a modeltrain set. Votives make the snow-dusted landscape sparkle.

Bag-O-Frosted topiaries, $13, department56.com.

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HOLIDAY UP YOUR HOME

When decking your own halls, consider these charming touches. Classic in inspiration and modern in execution, they bring cheer to nearly every room in the house and are as easy to implement as one, two . . . tree.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY RYAN LIEBE TEXT BY SARA MORROW

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Bells come in a range of colors. Choose a combo that complements your décor.

STOCK UP ON STOCKINGS

Nope, they’re not just for kids. These John Robshaw beauties add texture and color to any space— and can be put to new use: Fill sachets with fallen pine needles, tuck them inside the stockings, and perfume your home in a stealth way.

John Robshaw Wana and

Tuwan stockings, $99 each, johnrobshaw.com.

Decorate an existing chandelier, or hang a ring of mistletoe with three chains and S-hooks.

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JINGLE ALL THE WAY

To make comings and goings much more festive, gather a variety of crafts-store bells (these are red, gold, and silver), and string them onto two loops of wire. Mold them into a cluster shape, twist the ends of the loops together, and tie on a big bow. Hang the ornament from a doorknob with a piece of cord.

Creatology jingle bells, 16 mm, 20 mm, and 30 mm, from $4.50 a bag, michaels.com.

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FAKE A FLAME Enjoy candlelight without the fire hazard by placing LED votives on windowsills, mantels, and stairs.

Pottery Barn flameless plastic votive candles, $20 for 4, potterybarn.com. Everlasting votive candles, $15 for 10, bedbathandbeyond.com.

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GO OUT WITH A BANG Christmas crackers— prettily wrapped cylinders that hold tiny gifts and emit a loud pop when pulled apart—date back to mid-19th-century Great Britain. Place a pile in a bowl by your front door, and send guests home with a jolly fun party favor.

Olde English crackers, from $24 for 6, oldenglish crackers.com.

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SPREAD THE LOVE Rather than tucking mistletoe in a doorway, make family meals warm and fuzzy with an overhead centerpiece. Wrap a wreath frame with fresh eucalyptus and faux mistletoe (toxins in the real berries can harm kids and pets), and attach ornaments with floral wire.

Ashland wire wreath frame, 18", $4, michaels .com. Artificial mistletoe spray, 3" by 30", $5, factorydirectcraft.com.

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COUNT DOWN TO CHRISTMAS This whimsical Advent calendar comes together in a few basic steps. First, paint a two-byfour-foot pegboard slat; let dry overnight. Using stencils, craft paint, and a brush or sponge, paint the numbers 1 through 24 on muslin gift bags; let dry overnight. The next day, evenly space 24 small wooden pegs in the board; fill the bags with little toys, candy, and handwritten messages, and hang the bags in order. Then just place it on a console table or ledge, lean it against the wall (or mount it, if you have small children), and let the anticipation build.

White pegboard, 3⁄16" by 2' by 4', $8, homedepot.com. Cotton muslin pouches, 4" by 6", $18 for 25, snuggly monkey.com. Krylon ColorMaster gloss enamel, in Banner Red, $7 for 12 oz.; Lara’s Crafts wood axle pegs, 1 ⅜", $4 for 31; Craftsmart stencils, in Western Alphabet, from $7; and Martha Stewart Crafts multisurface satin acrylic craft paint, in Habanero, from $2.50 for 2 oz., michaels.com.

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LIGHT THE WAY

To set up this modern menorah, arrange eight bud vases in a row, with a taller one in the middle, and place tapers inside. For added stability, put a bit of candle glue in the bot- tom of each vase. Post- holiday, repurpose the vessels for greenery or small garden clippings.

Stick-Um candle adhe-

sive, $11, amazon.com.

Jamali Garden glass crys-

tal bud vases, $10 for 5", $13 for 7", jamaligarden .com. Metallic taper candles, 12", in Silver, $17 for 12, candles4less.com.

PLANNING TIP Follow your nose beyond cinnamon sticks and baked apples, and scent your home with this wintry mix: In a pot filled halfway with water, simmer pine sprigs, eucalyptus leaves, and fresh sage or rosemary; or pine sprigs, bay leaves, and ground nutmeg.

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STRIKE A TUNE Play music that’s happy, not sappy. These albums are mainstays and under-the-radar gems (for Martha’s favorite yule- tide songs, go to page 24):

A Charlie Brown Christmas Vince Guaraldi Trio Songs for Christmas Sufjan Stevens Christmas in the Heart Bob Dylan Santa’s Funk & Soul Christmas Party Vol. I Various Artists A Merry Christmas With Bing Crosby A Very She & Him Christmas She & Him Have Yourself a Soulful Little Christmas Kenny Burrell Fill the bags with animal figurines th at can be arranged in a manger scene come Christmas morning.

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