LUZERNE COUNTY, Pa. — Poinsettias are popping up in just about every corner of O'Malia's Farm and Greenhouse in Plains. The shop is swapping out their produce for the pretty petals, as they do every December.
"We start them in July. They're one of our longest-term crops," said owner Gary O'Malia.
The tradition of the poinsettia first started in Mexico, but the tradition at O'Malia's has also been going strong for decades.
"We've been buying logs here from them for more than 30 years," said Dora Pawlowski.
Owner Gary O'Malia is the third generation at his family's farm. They take Christmas seriously, shutting down for a week or so to completely transform the shop into a winter wonderland.
"It takes a few days to get all the wreaths, logs, and everything ready for display. So we shift gears, and then we reopen around Thanksgiving. Then it's full-blown for Christmas," said O'Malia.
The greenery is all handcrafted right in-store. Dora Pawlowski drives over an hour every year to pick up what she needs. Pawlowski says the number of shops selling fresh greenery is dwindling.
"If I do see places, they do not have the quality of these. They don't have the different ornamentation on them or decoration or bows," said Dora Pawlowski.
It takes a lot of hard work and a little help from Mother Nature herself to grow nearly 5,000 poinsettias. The vibrant color of the Christmas plant is shining a bit brighter this holiday, all thanks to a good growing season.
"I think they turned out really nice, and I attribute it to the nice October we had. We had a lot of sunshine," added O'Malia.
As Rudolph's nose isn't the only thing shining red in Luzerne County, the shop will be filling about 100 churches before Christmas Day.
"There's a lot of churches that I have to deliver to in the next 5 days. That's the tough part—getting them delivered. That's where it gets a little stressful," he added.
O'Malia's will be open for customers every day through Christmas Eve.