There are certain flowers that simply seem to belong to Christmas.
Poinsettias may get most of the attention, but for me, the red amaryllis has an elegance all its own. Its tall stems and spectacular trumpet-shaped blooms can make even a simple windowsill or holiday table feel dressed for Christmas.
That timeless Christmas feeling inspired this Red Amaryllis Needlepoint Ornament from BeeBee Designs.
The design features three brilliant red amaryllis blooms planted in decorative pots, creating a little holiday garden that can be stitched and enjoyed year after year.
A Flower Made for the Christmas Season
Part of the magic of the amaryllis is the anticipation.
You begin with what looks like a rather ordinary bulb. Then a green shoot appears. The stem grows taller and taller, until suddenly those enormous flowers begin to unfold.
That sense of waiting makes the amaryllis especially suited to the Christmas season.
Amaryllis bulbs can be timed to flower indoors during the holidays, which helped make them a favorite seasonal houseplant and gift. Their dramatic red and white varieties fit beautifully with traditional Christmas decorating, alongside greenery, ribbons, candles and ornaments.
For generations, families have placed blooming amaryllis on tables, mantels and windowsills during the winter months. A bulb can even be cared for and encouraged to bloom again, turning one Christmas flower into a tradition that returns year after year.
A Little Amaryllis History
The history behind this familiar flower is rather interesting.
The plant we usually buy at Christmastime and call an amaryllis is technically a member of the Hippeastrum genus. These plants are native to tropical and subtropical regions of Central and South America.
True Amaryllis comes from Africa, but over time the name “amaryllis” became the familiar common name for the spectacular Hippeastrum bulbs we grow indoors.
The name itself has an appropriately beautiful meaning. It comes from the Greek word amarysso, meaning “to sparkle.”
What a perfect name for a Christmas flower.
Amaryllis bulbs made their way to Europe centuries ago, and growers eventually developed the magnificent hybrids we know today—flowers in deep crimson, snowy white, pink, burgundy, salmon and beautiful striped combinations.
But there is something about the classic Christmas red amaryllis that is hard to beat.
From Christmas Flower to Needlepoint Ornament click here for the canvas
I wanted my needlepoint version to capture the charm of those amaryllis pots we bring into our homes each December.
The design is a 4-inch round on 14-count needlepoint mesh, with three red blooms rising above decorative pots. The traditional Christmas red is balanced with fresh greens and touches of pattern and color in the containers.
At four inches, it is a lovely size for a finished Christmas ornament without becoming an overwhelming stitching project.
And because it is stitched rather than grown, there is one rather nice advantage:
This amaryllis never stops blooming.
Finish it with beautiful cording and a hanging loop, and it can come out of the ornament box every December.
Creating Christmas Traditions One Stitch at a Time
That may be my favorite thing about needlepoint at Christmastime.
We aren’t simply making decorations.
We are making the things that someone may unwrap carefully ten or twenty Christmases from now and remember exactly where they came from.
A real amaryllis may bloom for only a few weeks, but a stitched one can become part of the Christmas story of a home.
Perhaps it hangs on the tree.
Perhaps it is tied onto a special package one year and becomes an ornament the next.
Or perhaps it is stitched for a daughter, granddaughter, sister or friend who loves flowers.
That is how little traditions begin.
And every December, when the red amaryllis begins appearing in garden centers and on holiday tables again, I am reminded why it deserved a place in the BeeBee Designs Christmas collection.
A little bit of history, a little bit of Christmas—and quite a lot of red.
About the Design
Red Amaryllis Christmas Needlepoint Canvas
4-inch round
14-count mesh
Digitally painted with stitch-painted details
Stitch & thread guide included
Designed by BeeBee Designs
