by Isabela, age 9, asks if a cactus blooms all year, about the Panama Canal, and its engineering history
Dear Santa,
Hola from Panama City. My name is Isabela and I am 9 years old. My Christmas cactus bloomed beautifully in December like it was supposed to, but then to everyone’s surprise it started blooming again in March, which nobody in my family could quite explain.
My first question is: will a Christmas cactus actually bloom all year round?
My second question is geography: what famous canal runs through Panama?
My third question is from school: why was the Panama Canal considered such an incredible engineering achievement?
I left you sancocho, a hearty chicken soup, and a slice of tres leches cake.
Love, Isabela, age 9, Panama City, Panama
From the Desk of Father Christmas
Dear Isabela, sancocho and tres leches cake made for a wonderfully warming stop, thank you very much. Now, to that mysterious March bloom, and your other questions.
Will a Christmas cactus bloom all year round?
Not typically on its own, since its blooming is naturally triggered by shorter days and cooler nights, usually happening once a year in the autumn or early winter. However, if a plant experiences an unusual mix of light and temperature changes, perhaps being moved to a different spot in the house or exposed to unexpected patterns of darkness, it can sometimes trick itself into a second, smaller bloom later in the year, exactly like your March surprise. Dedicated growers can even manipulate light exposure on purpose to coax out extra blooms, though most plants are happy sticking to their single yearly show.
What famous canal runs through Panama?
The Panama Canal cuts right across the country, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, allowing ships to avoid the long, dangerous journey all the way around the southern tip of South America.
Why was the Panama Canal such an achievement?
Completed in 1914 after years of extraordinarily difficult construction through dense jungle and challenging terrain, the canal required massive excavation and complex lock systems to raise and lower ships between the two oceans, a feat of engineering that transformed global shipping and trade forever.
Enjoy that surprise bloom while it lasts, and I shall see you very soon.
Ho ho ho, Santa
