QUESTION: What do you do with that poinsettia after Christmas?ANSWER: Amazingly, here it is, two days after Christmas, and people already have their trees, stripped naked of lights and glitter, at the curb, awaiting their destiny as mulch and compost.Yet, those red, pink and white poinsettias wrapped in foil and ribbon, are still in the house, where they will take up space until well past Valentine's Day.How could things get into such an unholy state? The firs, cedars and cypresses that cost a lot of money get kicked to the street so soon, yet you cling to the poinsettia like the dearest of Christmas memories. For many years — decades, really — I have wrestled with you, my dear readers, over the poinsettia problem.Which is basically this: You insist on keeping this holiday plant around way too long. Shorts and T-shirt season arrives, and you're still fussing over the thing like it was your high school senior about to fly the coop for college.Let it go. Clear space for something fresh and new on your end table. Get rid of the red. And isn't that foil and ribbon it arrived in starting to look a little shabby?Failing to take action in January puts you at great risk of becoming poinsettia-dependent.I have heard from many of you afflicted by this.Some call in February, reporting your plant has exceeded expectations and looks as good as it did in December and wondering what should be done to keep it going as long as possible.Some of you report in April that the good ol' poinsettia is sprouting new leaves that are green instead of red. And is that bad? Yeah, it's bad; you forgot to toss it with the Christmas wrappings.Since Jimmy Carter was president, I've been writing that poinsettias must be done with Jan. 31. That the garden editor could suggest casting off a perfectly good plant has horrified some readers who think I'm heartless.I'm not heartless. I'm practical. You don't have jack-o'-lanterns out at Christmas. And you shouldn't wait until Easter to pitch your poinsettia. By the end of January, let it go.Declare Poinsettia Season over on Jan. 5, the 12th day of Christmas.But if you absolutely must keep it:1. Continue to water the plant evenly, making sure water isn't trapped by the foil wrapping.2. Give it sunlight through a window — as much as possible.3. Keep it as long as it looks good. Well taken care of, they can hang in there for many weeks, even months.