In ancient times, gold as one of the most precious metals, along with frankincense and myrrh, were presented to honor the king, and historians believe that these gifts reinforced the prophecy of Jesus as King. Gold symbolizes one of the valuable gifts the Magi, or the Three Wise Men, presented to the baby Jesus. Both colors also have a close link to Christian tradition. Gold and silver are frequently close behind red and green at the top of the Christmas color chart. Deep and vibrant, they are a perfect combination to incorporate into holiday designs and visuals. With so many associations, it is no wonder that red and green are such significant symbols of Christmas. During the winter, Christians used to put on paradise plays, for which they cut down a green pine tree and decorated it with red apples. These colors also have close ties with Christian tradition, in which red symbolizes the blood Jesus shed during his crucifixion and green symbolizes his eternal nature. Santa featured in Coca-Cola advertisement. The contrast between his red outfit against a green Christmas tree further fixated our collective imaginations on reds and greens as primary holiday signifiers. In the 1930s, the Coca-Cola advertising campaign gave birth to the friendly, fat, and jolly Santa we know today. The mainstay pop culture association with reds and greens as Christmas colors came to us much later. That’s why to promote affluence, people regularly decorated their homes with holly trees. Back then, people believed that the tree brought good luck, wealth, and prosperity to every home during the cold winter months because it stayed evergreen. During the solstice celebrations, the vivid green leaves and vibrant red berries of the holly tree played a key role. To understand it, we must go back to ancient Celtic traditions and a holiday that predates Christmas - the winter solstice. What’s the symbolism behind these colors? Let’s dive into their history and meaning!Īlthough it may seem obvious that we associate green and red colors with the holiday season because of green Christmas trees and a red Santa Claus suit, their initial symbolism is a bit more complicated. It wasn’t until the 20th century that popular culture popularized the reds, greens, golds, and other colors that we now associate with winter holidays. Thousands of years ago the Christmas palette was much wider and more varied. Most colors inherited their meaning from western and northern European customs, closely connected to religion and the winter season. The traditional Christmas colors - red, green, gold, silver, blue, and white - are a combination of folklore, religion, history, and popular culture, bound together by holiday marketing.

Other articles you might find interesting.Read on to learn more about colors that are integral to one of the most anticipated holidays.

We prepared this article to save you time searching for the symbolism behind common Christmas colors. But why do we consider them Christmas colors in the first place? What’s the history behind them? And are there any other colors you can use in your holiday designs and decorations to capture the Christmas spirit? It simply doesn’t feel like Christmas without traditional color combinations incorporated into home decorations, greeting cards, and holiday foods.

Although these colors are around the whole year, they’re usually associated with the Christmas holiday season. But what makes holiday decorations so recognizable? Among other things, we’re always drawn to the classic reds, greens, whites, blues, golds, and silvers. With the holidays quickly approaching, it’s time to get into the festive Christmas spirit and spruce up your designs, product pages, newsletters, and ads with thematic content and visuals.

Traditional christmas colors