The Christmas Rose
An Advent Story Calendar
Day Eight
For everything that happens in life—there is a season, a right time for everything under heaven.
Ecclesiastes 3:1
The days shortened as November became December. Joe spent less time in the greenhouse now heated with grow lamps turned to dormancy levels. The glass had been replaced and Dora’s debt had been paid, but Dora and Joe had formed the kind of friendship the old and young enjoy. After Thanksgiving break, when Dora had gone to her grandmother’s and Joe to his son’s, the two friends sat at the kitchen table sharing cups of cocoa. Most of the roses slept in their beds — except one, which was leafing out and stretching toward the sun.
Sipping noisily, Dora said, “That rose seems to be waking up.”
In the far corner of the greenhouse, away from the other roses, leaves unfolded in a large pot.
“That’s a Christmas Rose,” Joe explained. “I’ve been waiting for two years for that one to bloom. It isn’t like the other roses that bloom in the spring and summer. The Christmas Rose waits for cold and snow. Sometimes it’s called the Winter Rose”
“Why is it called a Christmas Rose? Because it likes a white Christmas?”
“Don’t you know the legend? Well, I suppose you wouldn’t. These roses grow in the mountains of Central Europe in winter.”
Dora handed Joe her cup, “If you’re going to tell me a legend, I’ll need more cocoa.”
Rose History: In a Greek legend, Aphrodite, the goddess of love, names her son Eros after the rose (rearranging the letters). Aphrodite wanted Eros to keep her secrets, so she gave him a rose to seal his lips. In Greek tradition, roses symbolized secrecy and discretion.
Rose Hues: The white rose stands for secrecy and silence. A shared secret is less likely to be kept.
Prayer: God of all seasons, wake me up to your love. Open my lips so that I may share your love. Amen
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