It’s hard to imagine a time when red and green weren’t synonymous with Christmas, but they haven’t always been the holiday’s go-to colors. Here is a list of Christmas colors and what they mean
Red
Red actually became a Christmas colour after Coca-Cola hired someone to create a Santa Claus for their Christmas ads. This artist created a Santa that we associate with now; fat, jolly and dressed in red robes, matching the colour of the Coke logo – no coincidence at all. Today, red goes beyond the colour of Santa’s robes and is said to be seen during the season as the colour of holly berries, which represent the blood of Jesus when he died on the cross. An early use for red at Christmas were the apples on the Paradise Tree, which foreshadowed the fall of Adam in Christmas plays. But the colour truly signifies God’s, unconditional love.
Green
Evergreen plants, like holly, ivy and mistletoe have been used for years to decorate and brighten up buildings during winter, reminding people that spring is coming. Both Romans and ancient Egyptians used evergreen plants during their winter festivals. The most common use of the colour of nature, green, at Christmas is Christmas trees and other festive decorations such as wreaths.
Gold
The warm colour of the Sun and light, gold is the colour of giving showing that God treats everyone equally. Gold was also one of the presents brought to the baby Jesus by one of the wise men. In fact, it’s the colour of the star that the three wise men followed.
White
White Associated with purity and peace, white is the colour of snow. White can also be seen in the paper wafers sometimes used to decorate paradise trees, representing the bread eaten during Christian Mass when Christians remember that Jesus died for them. Most churches consider white as the colour of Christmas and use a white cloth to cover the altar.
Blue
The colour of the sky, heavens and water, blue is often associated with Mary, Jesus’s mother who was often painted wearing blue. This showed that she was important because, in Medieval times, blue dye was very expensive so it would only be worn by the wealthy.
Purple
The colour of royalty, purple showed the sovereignty of Jesus. Used to cover the altar, purple is considered the main colour of Advent as it symbolizes fasting and repentance.
