Poinsettia Problem

Hi! I am new(er) to gardening and new to the state of Tennessee, so I am unfamiliar with the weather and plants here. I came from a very tropical area, where I never had to deal with things like frost or drastic weather changes, etc. so this is a huge education!

A few weeks ago I bought a beautiful red poinsettia, brought it home, stuck it in a pot outside. I've kept the soil damp. It's looked great. I love it!

Two nights ago we had a lot of rain. Yesterday I didn't watch my daily dose of the Weather Channel, and last night we had an unexpected cold front. The combination of the wet and then cold over the last 2 nights has made my poinsettia looking very sad.

Droopy, damp leaves, that are now a dark burgundy color rather than a vibrant red. Some of the leaves that were hidden underneath or protected by the outer leaves are still more red and perky... but not many. (The picture that you see shows the droopy damp darker leaves next to one of the still-okay red ones.)

So, what do I do?
Is this frost?
If so, what can I do about it?
How can I avoid frost in the future?

I brought the plant inside the house, hoping that maybe the warmer temperature would help it out a bit, and then logged on and joined this website for all of your advice! :)

I really wanted the plant to look beautiful through the holidays. Is there any way it will get back to looking the way it did before?

I was actually about to go out and buy another one today because I've been loving the first one so much, but now I don't know what to do.

What temperatures are good for the poinsettia? We are supposed to have low 20s up to mid 50s all month. Should I bother with buying another one or not with that weather?

Thanks so much for all of your help!!! I really appreciate you taking the time to respond, especially for such a novice like me!!!

I suspect it got too cold and it has frost damage. Since it was just the one night and I'm guessing the temperatures didn't get that cold the plant itself should survive. But the frost damaged leaves will probably die and fall off and it'll take a while for it to grow back and look nice, so if you want poinsettias to display for the holidays you may want to consider getting another one. In your area they should be treated as indoor plants for the holidays and not left outside.

be careful of poinsettias inside if you have small children or pets, they are poisonous.

Euphorbia pulcherrima, Poinsettia is not poisonous.

thanks metro. I never bought any because of small children and pets. I missed out all these years!

Those poinsettias are not outside plants and need to be kept as indoor plants until summer in this area. They are always out for sale around the holidays but only as house plants. Inside don't water too much and give good bright light but most of all keep it warm. It won't live outside, it's considered tropical in this neck of the woods. Sorry.