The holidays are a festive time of year when people decorate their homes and surroundings with colorful lights, ornaments, and decorations. With so many holidays packed into the last couple months of the year, from Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, New Year’s Eve, and more, it can be overwhelming trying to choose color schemes that work for multiple celebrations.
In determining what makes a good holiday color, there are a few key factors to consider:
Traditions and Meanings
Each holiday has traditions and symbolic meanings associated with certain colors. Focusing on traditional holiday colors is an easy way to decorate in a way that feels familiar, nostalgic, and appropriate for each celebration.
| Holiday | Traditional Colors |
|---|---|
| Christmas | Red, green, gold, silver, white |
| Hanukkah | Blue, silver, gold |
| Kwanzaa | Red, green, black |
| New Year’s Eve | Gold, silver, black, white |
| Thanksgiving | Orange, red, brown, yellow |
As shown in the table above, each holiday has colors strongly associated with it through history and tradition. Choosing decorations that feature these symbolic colors is an easy way to set the right festive mood. For example, red and green are quintessential Christmas colors representing Santa Claus, holly leaves, Christmas trees, etc. Blue and silver are traditional Hanukkah colors that connect to the menorah candles and dreidels. Focusing on the traditional colors is a safe bet for any holiday decoration.
Coordinating Color Schemes
The challenge with the winter holiday season is that several different holidays can fall in quick succession or even overlap. When decorating for multiple holidays, try choosing a color scheme that coordinates across the different celebrations.
Opt for decorations in complementary colors that carry across holidays. For example, red and green can work for both Christmas and Kwanzaa decor. Blue and silver coordinate nicely for Hanukkah and New Year’s Eve. White lights and decor look classic and elegant for any occasion. Having decorations in these coordinating color families allows for seamless transitions between holiday celebrations.
You can also decorate using neutral backgrounds like white, black, silver or gold as a base and then switch out accents and smaller decor pieces in the symbolic colors as you transition between holidays. This provides flexibility to adapt your decorative scheme efficiently.
Personal Preferences
While honoring holiday traditions can set a warm, nostalgic tone, you can also incorporate your own personal preferences into the color scheme. The holidays are about celebrating with family and friends, so making décor decisions that reflect your style and taste helps make the space feel warm, welcoming and uniquely yours.
Factor in the existing colors and style of your home décor. If your living space already has a vibrant color palette, choose holiday hues that complement or match your design. For a more neutral or minimalist décor scheme, the traditional holiday colors will stand out more.
Consider fun ways to blend traditional holiday shades with your personal favorites. For example, if you love pink, mix in rose gold and blush tones. If turquoise is your color, bring it in with snowflake ornaments and wintery tones. Adding your personality into the holiday color scheme creates a joyful, custom atmosphere.
Setting The Mood
Beyond adhering to traditions or personal preferences,holiday colors also set the tone for celebrations. Certain palettes can create an energetic, festive mood, while others set a more peaceful ambiance. Keep the overall mood you want to achieve in mind when planning your color scheme.
Bright, joyful colors like reds, greens, golds, and blues create lively energy perfect for lively holiday parties and gatherings. On the other hand, soft, cool tones like whites, silvers, platinums, and icy blues or purples generate a more peaceful, elegant mood for introspective or spiritual occasions.
Consider the needs of your family as well. With kids, opt for fun, whimsical colors to excite them for the holidays. For seniors, aim for colors that are soothing and calm to prevent overstimulation. Pick colors that set the scene you aim to create.
Incorporating All Colors
With so many beautiful holiday colors, why limit yourself to just a few? Embrace the full spectrum by decking out your space with all the celebratory colors!
For the tree alone, go wild with a rainbow of shiny round ornaments. String all different colored lights for a merry dazzle. Incorporate all the symbolic colors into your garlands, wreaths, table settings and more.
Make an ornament wreath or mantel display with meaningful ornaments in every festive shade. Set your tablescape with multiple holiday-hued candles, linens, plates and napkins. Mixing all the special occasion colors creates a joyous, inclusive atmosphere.
For neutral basics like trees and wreaths, decorate with an eclectic blend of ribbons, picks and ornaments across red, green, blue, gold, silver and more for a colorful celebration of all the holidays.
Conclusion
The winter holidays bring so many opportunities to infuse your home with festive colors that set the tone for celebrating. By honoring traditions, coordinating schemes, blending in personal style and considering the overall mood, you can deck out your space in colors that spark joy, warmth, and festivity through all the most wonderful time of the year. Feel free to get creative and have fun as you decorate to make your holiday colors as special as your celebrations!
