Christmas Cactus

I got my first Christmas Cactus from my grandmother in 1970.  It was already a large plant by then and when my grandmother passed away in 1973, I thought I would never get it to bloom again.  Below is the plant I got from my grandmother.

It didn't bloom again until about 1980 when we moved into a different house where it bloomed in profusion for many years.  Christmas Cacti like cooler temperatures and natural light.  We kept the cactus in a corner of the dining room with the heat register shut and seldom turned on the lights in that room in the evening.

Once when I transplanted it, a branch broke off. I was able to grow that into another plant.

Depending on the year, I have had the cactus bloom as early as Thanksgiving or as late as Easter.

I now have several other smaller cacti in different colours.  Below you can see a pale pink one and a vivid scarlet one blooming together in the same pot at the same time as my fushia one.  This doesn't happen very often.

Here is a closeup of one of the scarlet blooms.  Although they are not scented and do not last very long, I enjoy them immensely when I have them.  They remind me of ballerinas wearing fancy tutus.