52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Week 50

 Week 50:

The theme for Week 50 is “Family Heirloom.” Heirlooms don’t have to be expensive to be valuable. Grandma’s mirror that she kept on her nightstand? The milk bottle from the dairy where Uncle Harold worked? This is a good week to write about it and the person it’s associated with. 

Let me tell you about the infamous Gross family Christmas cactus. The cactus originally belonged to my maternal great-grandmother, Lillian.

Lillian Mae Taylor 

Born: 8 Sep 1895 Newberry, York, PA

Died: 11 October 1981 Etters, York, PA

For my entire life and for many years before that, the cactus grew in the windowsill in the casual dining room at my grandpa's house.

 My great-grandmother, Lillian, died 13 years before I was born. When she passed away in 1981, my grandfather, Clair E. Gross, inherited the house, which he had grown up in, and then lived there until his death in 2009. He kept the cactus for the remainder of his life. 

Over the years my mom and I would prune and separate the cactus, occasionally giving cuttings to friends and family. 

When my grandpa passed in 2009 we had to sell the homestead. We brought the cactus home and it has lived in the corner of our casual living room ever since. The cactus is now at least 100 years old, possibly older. The center of the cactus looks more like a tree trunk than the delicate stems you often see on young Christmas and Thanksgiving cacti. 

Over the years the cactus has come to represent a living, breathing link to my ancestors. My great-grandmother planted this cactus, and now, three generations later, I'm keeping it alive.


In August 2019 I got my first tattoo. I chose to get a Christmas cactus tattooed across my sternum (yes, I now realize that getting a large tattoo across your sternum is a completely insane choice for a first tattoo, but I survived and discovered that I have a decent pain tolerance). The tattoo was based off of pictures of our family cactus. 


Taken in 2019

Taken in 2025





The tattoo took 2 sessions and approximately 7 hours. Tattoo artist- Dan Lara


Some of the cuttings 





The cactus blooms red, orange, and fuchsia

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