Christmas Flowers & Gifts

Bouquet, centerpiece or plant

Start with where the gift will sit. A Christmas bouquet in a vase, such as Yuletide Greetings with a dozen red roses and trailing eucalyptus, suits a sideboard, a desk or a mantel. Christmas centerpieces are made to sit on a dining table, and several, including the Christmas Cheer Centerpiece and the Traditional Christmas Centerpiece, rise around real taper candles. For someone who would rather not tend a vase, a poinsettia often keeps its color for weeks; the six here run from the Dressed Poinsettia - 8 Inch to red and white floor plants. Two designs are shaped like tabletop trees: the Christmas Boxwood Tree, made from fresh-cut boxwood and pine, and the Crimson Christmas Tree, built from red roses and gerbera daisies.

Colors and flowers that say Christmas

Red, white and green are the traditional Christmas colors, and roses lead the way, appearing in 24 of the 44 gifts here. Pinecones, hypericum berries, pine and eucalyptus add a wintry texture. Poinsettias are often linked with the Star of Bethlehem, and evergreens have long stood for life carrying on through winter. Not every pick is red, though. Christmas Erin layers roses, lilies and hydrangeas with magnolia leaves in evergreen and gold, the White Holiday Poinsettia Floor Plant has ivory bracts, and Elegant Charm Centerpiece swaps red for lavender, blue and white. Blue and white designs such as Hanukkah Hues suit friends who celebrate Hanukkah, and our Hanukkah flowers gather more of them.

Sizes, Designer's Choice and the card

Most designs come in three or more sizes, so one look can fit a coffee table or anchor a buffet. Garden of Grandeur for Holiday runs from Small to Extra Large, and the Christmas Classic Dozen Red Roses comes with 12, 18 or 24 stems. If you'd rather leave the details to the florist, the four Designer's Choice Christmas pieces are built in reds and greens from the freshest stems on hand that day; you choose the tier. Add your card message at checkout and keep it short and warm, such as "Merry Christmas from all of us in Denver" or "Wishing you a peaceful holiday, love, the Garcias."

When to send Christmas flowers

Christmas falls on December 25, and when it lands on a Sunday, choose Saturday or an earlier day, since there are no Sunday deliveries. Many people send arrangements a few days ahead so the flowers can be enjoyed all week and a host has the centerpiece in place before guests arrive. The Grand Holiday Gourmet and Fruit Basket is the one gift here that ships by carrier, so it is never same-day and its delivery estimate appears at checkout.