There are many things we associate with the holidays: family, parties, colorful lights, trees, long checkout lines at the mall, no parking and, of course, presents. But besides the obvious things we tend to think of this time of year, there are many other holiday items that actually symbolize the season. One example is euphorbia pulcherrima, more commonly known as the poinsettia.

If you are in the U.S. during the month of December, you can pretty much walk in any direction and expect to see a poinsettia sitting on the steps or window sills of a home or office, creating a beautiful contrast of red and green that catches almost any eye. What most admirers don’t realize is that the poinsettia was placed on that step or window after completing a very complex journey that was made possible by a logistics company specialized in transporting of perishables, like UPS.

So where do they come from? The Paul Ecke Ranch, a leading worldwide grower and distributor of plants, is best known as the primary breeder of poinsettias. Starting out at the Paul Ecke Ranch in Guatemala, the poinsettias are carefully looked after by the ranch’s expert breeders until they are ready to ship out, at which point they are carefully packaged and tagged for the journey ahead.

Being live plants, the complexity behind delivering a poinsettia goes far beyond that of packaged t-shirts or documents. Everything from the time in transit and the temperature in the facilities and vehicles to the amount of time the plants are kept out of the sun plays a role in determining whether you receive a healthy plant with vibrant colors, or a shriveled up weed.

Thankfully for the Paul Ecke Ranch, UPS has more than 15 years of experience moving perishable cargo into the U.S. from Central and South America. With temperature-controlled facilities, a vast technology infrastructure and one of the cargo industry’s most reliable networks, UPS continues to ensure that each poinsettia shipped from Guatemala reaches its final destination in pristine condition, ready to brighten up the walls, rooms doorways and windows of customers throughout the U.S.

It’s too bad you can’t say the same for the condition of your luggage after a holiday flight.

So if you see a poinsettia this holiday season, take a moment to admire the shape, color and health of the plant and then try to imagine how something so fragile kept its appearance after a 2,000 mile journey. Talk about a holiday miracle. Or just a really, really good shipper. Happy holidays.