Early christmas blooms
I've had this christmas cactus for a couple of years and it always bloom way before christmas. I think as soon as the temperature gets cooler and the days get shorter, somehow it sense it and starts blooming. The name is really deceiving because shouldn't it bloom on Christmas? 
Christmas cactus has beautiful blooms and is really easy to take care of, seriously I think I only water it once or twice a month during the summer months. When it starts blooming I water it more frequently and also add bloom fertilizer every two weeks. I don't even know if this is the way to take care of christmas cactus but it seems to have more and more blooms every year, so I guess what I'm doing is working. But one important note is not to move it around too much once it gets used to the temperature and light source of the spot, otherwise the flower buds will drop because of temperature fluctuations.
November 4th, 2008 - 16:32
How beautiful! The flowers look like butterflies.
November 4th, 2008 - 20:57
WOW…how neat! Great color too! Mine have not shown any signs of anything yet. I hope they will bloom!
November 4th, 2008 - 22:44
This post is making me sad. I’m pretty sure that I killed mine this year. It was so pretty last year. Yours is georgous.
November 5th, 2008 - 22:00
I never get any blooms on mine
But I’m happy to enjoy yours!
November 6th, 2008 - 12:11
I’ve been wondering why my Christmas cactus blooms so early – and then I realized today that it was a Thanksgiving cactus – I think yours is too.
I didn’t even know there was such a thing until today.
Yours is beautiful.
November 6th, 2008 - 21:05
Fern – they do look like butterflies. This plant looks very deceiving because when it’s not in bloom it’s just a normal spiky plant.
Wicked Gardener – this is actually my second one. My first one didn’t do well because I had it at a low light area and I think they do better near the window.
Jen – Thanks! I guess I’m just lucky because I seriously don’t do much to it. When I bought it from Walmart it was in full bloom. I guess it had a good start.
Sara – You know what… for all this time I thought I had a christmas cactus. Now I know to call it Thanksgiving cactus or Halloween cactus.
November 7th, 2008 - 13:57
I always thought they were all Christmas Cactus too, I guess it’s pretty common.
Of course now I can stop wondering how to get mine to bloom at Christmas since I know it’s not a Christmas Cactus.
November 10th, 2008 - 11:24
Stunning photos! I just brought mine in and it is about to bloom.