My favorite tradition to do the day after Thanksgiving Day was to decorate the Christmas Tree, and seeing the colors of Christmas meant that the Christmas season had begun.
I have spoken about how much I loved my grandma's tree and the icicles that were all over the tree, the red, blue, gold, and silver bulbs spread throughout. It just brought a lot of happiness and is some of my fondest memories around the holidays.
However, my mom preferred a Victorian tree, which had a lot of pink and white. I remember telling my mom that you couldn't do that to a Christmas tree because that is not the Color of Christmas!
Her tree looked nice but always had something missing. At least, that is what I thought, but I am sure that she would disagree.
So, what are the official colors of Christmas, and what are the meanings behind them?
Green
Green became a color of Christmas due to its connection with evergreen plants such as Holly, Ivy, Mistletoe, and Pine trees. It is the perfect color for Christmas because evergreen plants look great in cold or warm climates.
Evergreen plants have had a connection to the Winter Solstice for thousands of years as they would remind people that winter was here but would soon pass, and they would arrive at spring.
While it has taken on many meanings throughout the years, the color green at Christmas time is now known for being the color of the Christmas Trees that we decorate.
Red
When I see red at Christmas, I instantly think of Santa Claus or Candy Canes!
However, centuries ago, red at Christmas time was often due to the use of apples on the paradise tree. The paradise tree was used in plays and represented the fall of Man when Adam took a bite of the forbidden apple.
This would be the origin of original sin and would take Jesus coming to earth as a baby, growing up without sin, and then dying on the cross.
The color red is symbolic of the blood of Jesus.
Later, red became the color that was worn by various church officials, such as the Pope and bishops. As said previously, this would also be the primary color for Santa Claus.
Gold
The color of Gold has been associated with Christmas since nearly the beginning of the life of Jesus. This is because one of the presents that was given to Christ was gold by the Wise Men who followed the star of Bethlehem to see Jesus.
In pagan tradition, the color of gold also makes sense due to being the color of the sun. The sun shines light into the dark winter and can also represent warmth.
White
White is an obvious choice for Christmas.
It represents two different things. The first is the purity of Christ. White is often the color used in the bible to suggest being clean before the Lord and fits well with the Christmas Story since Jesus lived a perfect life.
Secondly, it is the color of snow, which most people experience around this time of year.
Pagan traditions also used white for the second reason above. Snow represented winter.
Blue
The color Blue takes on a different meaning the the previous colors. The previous colors were tied to Jesus and winter. However, blue comes from a more Catholic tradition in that it represents Mary, the mother of Jesus.
Centuries ago, blue was worn as a sign of wealth, and when art was made depicting Mary, she was often wearing a blue robe. Mary was not a wealthy woman, but the blue was given to her to show her importance.
Mary was an amazing figure during the Christmas story. Most understand that she was the mother of Jesus, but many do not realize she was probably 13 - 16 years old when she gave birth to Christ. She had much faith at a very young age.
Purple
This is a color that I do not see often during Christmas. If I do see it, then it is usually a Christmas bulb that was placed on a Christmas tree.
The reason that I do not see this often is because I am Protestant, and this color is used in Orthodox Christianity, more specifically, Russian Orthodox.
Purple is often the color of royalty, and since Jesus was the King of Kings, its use during Christmas time is often used to refer to his position. It is easy to classify Jesus as a meek carpenter when, in reality, he is the powerful Son of God.
Pink
I have to do this color due to my mom. She loved Pink on her Christmas tree, and I would always tell her that it did not make sense because this was not a Christmas color. However, I was wrong.
Pink is used in Advent to represent a shit from repentance to celebration for the believer. So, the color actually represents joy, and what more joyous time is there than Christmas?
Silver
Often left off the list is silver, which is odd to me since silver is the primary color of Christmas in my home.
Silver represents the star of Bethlehem. This is interesting because when the lights are off and depending on where your Christmas Tree is situated, it will be the silver bulbs or decorations that give a small glow when the light hits it just right.
Silver is another color that is associated with the Wise Men.
