Design Crafters

Joel Roberts Poinsett, who was then the first U.S. ambassador to Mexico, imported the first poinsettia plant from Mexico in 1828.  According to Encyclopedia Britannica:
    
In warm climates, the poinsettia grows outdoors as a winter-flowering
leggy shrub about 3 metres (10 feet) high; as a potted plant in
northern areas it rarely grows beyond 1 meter. What appear to be petals
are actually coloured leaflike bracts that surround a central cluster
of tiny yellow flowers. A milky latex in the stems and leaves can be
irritating to persons or animals sensitive to it, but the claim that
poinsettias are deadly poisonous is greatly exaggerated.

Poinsettias have grown to be tremendously popular at least in America and at least one can be seen in most homes, in commercial establishments, and most certainly at places of worship throughout the Christmas season. If cared for properly, they can even last through most of the winter. Because of their beauty and red and green coloration, they make a popular image for Christmas cards.

"Yuletide" for "Christmastime" is a term
derived from the Yule Log, according to "Dictionary of Word and Phrase
Origins," by William and Mary Morris. In the old days, the Yule log was
used as the foundation of holiday fires. As recently as the 19th century,
bringing in the Yule log was as much a part of the pre-Christmas festivities as
putting up a Christmas tree is today. The word "Yule" can be traced
back as far as the Middle English "Yollen" which means cry aloud and
is thought to date from early Anglo-Saxon celebration of the discovery (after
the winter solstice) that the nights were getting shorter.

The custom of burning the Yule log flourished in England,
France, Germany
and among the South Slavs up until the 19th century.
Families carved a heavy wood block out of oak and would place it into the floor
of their hearth. It glowed throughout the year under the flames of household
fires. Gradually it became ash.

Most Christmas cards showing a roaring fire in the fireplace are showing off a Yule log even though the popularity has disipated since the 19th century. There are still references to it in old Christmas carols as well