Red and green are now considered the traditional Christmas colors, commonly used in decorations, clothing, and other holiday symbols. But Christmas colors were not always strictly limited to just red and green. So how did these two shades come to dominate Christmas color palettes? The popularity of red and green as Christmas colors can be traced back to two key associations – the use of holly and ivy as Christmas greenery, and the colors worn by Saint Nicholas.
The Greenery Connection – Holly and Ivy
Long before Christmas trees entered the scene, holly and ivy were used as Christmas greenery and decoration in medieval times. The prickly leaves and red berries of holly made it a natural winter decoration to add some liveliness and greenness indoors during cold winters. Ivy had long been considered a symbol of eternal life in ancient cultures and was therefore also appropriate for midwinter celebrations.
When Christmas celebrations resumed after the Protestant Reformation, these plants retained their strong ties to the season. Their continued use established the popularity of the red and green color combination. The vibrant reddish berries and deep green leaves of holly came to represent the colors of Christmas itself.
| Plant | Color |
|---|---|
| Holly | Deep Green Leaves, Red Berries |
| Ivy | Shiny Green Leaves |
As natural winter plants, holly and ivy were conveniently available materials to add festive coloring and decoration to Christmas traditions at a time when elaborate decor was out of reach for most. Their red and green colors came to symbolize Christmas simply because they were part of ancient Christmas decorating customs.
The Saint Nicholas Connection
The other key source leading to the popularity of red and green as Christmas colors was the legend of Saint Nicholas. Saint Nicholas was a Greek Christian bishop living in the 3rd and 4th century known for his charitable work and gift giving. After his death, stories of his generosity and secret gift-giving spread and he became the model for the modern Santa Claus.
In early depictions of Saint Nicholas, he was shown wearing traditional bishop red vestments. Green came to be added to portrayals of Saint Nicholas’ outfit to represent the green vestments worn by priests and deacons during more festive church seasons. Saint Nicholas then emerged as a symbolic figure bringing gifts and cheer dressed in red trimmed with green, forming the early template for Santa Claus.
| Figure | Outfit |
|---|---|
| Saint Nicholas | Red vestments trimmed in Green |
| Santa Claus | Red coat with white trim, Black belt and boots |
As the Saint Nicholas legends morphed into the jolly Santa Claus archetype known today, his costume colors remained stuck on the red and green palette originated from Saint Nicholas’ vestments. These colors came to be firmly associated with the Christmas season through their prominence in depictions of Santa Claus during the holiday.
Secular Symbols Reinforce the Christmas Color Tradition
By the 20th century, red and green were established as the colors representing Christmas. As secular Christmas symbols gained wider popularity, they reinforced the red and green color scheme through mass production and commercial marketing aimed at evoking familiar Christmas nostalgia.
Christmas cards depicting holly, ivy, and Santa Claus flooded the growing card exchange custom, anchoring those red and green images as symbols of the season. Department store Santa costumes followed the standard red and green template, further ingraining those colors as the Christmas standard. Songs like “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” also reinforced the red and green palette.
| Christmas Symbol | Color Scheme |
|---|---|
| Holiday cards | Red, green, white |
| Wrapping paper | Red, green stripes or solids |
| Ornaments | Red, green, gold |
| Ribbons & bows | Red, green |
As these commercial symbols spread, products began saturating the market painted, printed, or decorated in the expected red and green motifs. This further reinforced the tradition of red and green Christmas colors by surrounding consumers with consistent holiday color palettes year after year.
Modern Customs Establish Red and Green as Traditional Christmas Colors
By the modern era, red and green were considered the traditional standard Christmas colors. Their ubiquity stems from the twin origins of associated legendary and natural symbols, combined with tradition-minded commercial growth.
Cities began decorating streets and public spaces with red and green lights, wreaths, garlands, and Christmas trees to signal the festive mood. Retailers stocked up on red and green ornaments, giftwrap, window displays, and products to appeal to shoppers’ expectations.
Red and green remain the expected, emotionally evocative colors of the season. Even non-traditional holiday colors like blue, silver, purple, and gold are generally used alongside small touches of classic red and green rather than replacing them entirely.
Conclusion
Red and green emerged as popular Christmas colors through the intersecting symbols of holly and ivy greenery and Saint Nicholas legends. Their emotional resonance became ingrained through tradition and commercial growth. So while other colors now supplement Christmas palettes, red and green remain the quintessential Christmas colors. Their cultural roots run deep, securing them as the colors most evocative of Christmas nostalgia and cheer.
