Why Red And Green Are The Colors Of Christmas (Whether We Like It Or Not)

Holly and other greenery have been part of holiday decorations for centuries, although they have roots in pre-Christmas traditions. Specifically, Romans used holly and ivy during Saturnalia, the ancient festival around the winter solstice in honor of the god of the harvest, Saturn. 

Holly was hung in temples and homes, and wreaths made out of it were given as gifts. Holly represented good luck, a new season, and protection. Holly also has red berries, so the seasonal touch of green and red goes back to antiquity. 

Saturnalia was a time to celebrate, characterized by lax rules and norms. Gambling, drinking, and excess were everywhere, and the social order turned on itself - slaves were equals and able to enjoy the same food and other perks as their masters. When people greeted one another, they said “Io, Saturnali!,” believed by some to be the origins of the “Ho” in “Ho, ho, ho!”

Decorating evergreen trees was practiced by Egyptians and Celts, groups who also viewed mistletoe and the like with favor.  During the Middle Ages, Christians had appropriated the use of holly and ivy and rejected pagan deities. 

What modern observers would call a Christmas tree - a large evergreen tree brought into the home - is traced to Germany during the 16th century. It honored Christ's sacrifice and ultimate rebirth with the same symbolic vibrancy of green and red that had been fundamental to its use for centuries. 

Author of Secret Language of Color Arielle Eckstut noted, “holly is associated with the crown of thorns of Jesus,” another link to the Christmas season.

Saint Nicholas, the figure upon whom Santa Claus is based, was a Christian bishop who lived during the 3rd or 4th centuries. In artistic representations, Saint Nicholas was depicted wearing red robes while protecting the weak and defenseless. 

The legend of Saint Nicholas was adapted over time and in different locations, notably in the Netherlands where he acquired his white beard. Called Sinterklaas, the red robes were still included and, every December 6 (his feast day), he left coal or gifts for children to wake up to. 

Sinterklaas arrived in North America with European settlers by the late 19th century and, with the proliferation of newspapers and advertisements, found more and more visual representation beyond the Netherlands. 

It's commonly believed that Coca-Cola gave Santa Claus his traditional look but they were only one part of how the jolly man became inextricably linked to red. In 1931, artist Haddon Sundblom painted what would become the iconic image of Santa Claus for a Coke ad.

Santa Claus, usually presented as tall and elfish, was featured in a drawing by Thomas Nast in Harper's Weekly in 1862. Nast presented him as a supporter of the Union, a giver of gifts, and, in additional images in the magazine, a rooftop hopping sleigh driver. This idea of Santa caught on and grew thanks to poems and other stories. 

By the time Sundblom was tapped to design a new advertisement for Coca-Cola, the framework for Santa was well established. Sundblom made his suit red and gave him a white beard and white trim - officially decking him out the colors of Coca-Cola. 

Evergreens and their presence in late December festivals and celebrations ultimately combined with the red of Santa's suit to make red and green the official Christmas color palette by the mid-20th century. Earlier combinations of colors used in cards and decorations fell by the wayside in what  Secret Language of Color author Eckstut called, 

The beauty of nature combined with the crassness of commerce. 

During the 20th century, the colors of Hanukkah (blue and white) were also commercialized. In order to make Hanukkah cards stand out amid the plethora of Christmas options, Hallmark chose the colors of the Israeli flag since it was an “international” option. 

Blue and white were part of Judaism, but it wasn't until the establishment of the Israeli state in 1948 that blue and white “became” the colors of Hanukkah. Lights and other decor soon followed to allow Jewish individuals to, in the words of author Dianne Aston, “participate in the seasonal event that the whole country is doing… in a Jewish way.”