Christmas is well and truly on the way, there’s a chill in the air and the nights are drawing in. It will soon be time to decorate the tree, dress your home in its festive finery and jingle your bells, whilst you belt out Merry Christmas Everybody along with Slade. Are you a Christmas traditionalist who prefers the golds, greens and reds of the festive season? Or do you prefer to tread a contemporary path and choose something a little more modish? Let’s take a look at the colours of Christmas.
Green
Green has always had connections to the festive period, The Romans introduced the tradition of evergreen plants, they would present friends with sprigs of greenery in the month of January, as a good luck offering. The Egyptians also embraced greenery, they would hang palms in their homes to mark the winter festival.
Nowadays we use holly and ivy to decorate our homes, fashioning wreaths to decorate doorways and garlands for mantlepieces. We can’t resist the allure of mistletoe either – perfect if you’re trying to illicit a kiss from someone you have your eye on! We must also mention the greenest of them all – the good old Christmas tree. Whether you prefer the real thing with its needles or the artificial variety, a green Christmas tree adorned with lights and decorations is still the epitome of Christmas.
Red
Roll out the red carpet, red is certainly a popular Christmas colour and is a firm favourite during the festive period. It’s warm and cosy, the colour of the plump berries that cling to holly and the colour of Rudolph’s bright nose! Red is also the colour of Santa’s robes and children everywhere get excited by a glimpse of the jolly man is his bright red suit. Going further back red was also thought to represent the red apples that grew on the tree in the Garden of Eden.
Gold
The warmth and light from a flickering candle can make a home feel instantly warmer, and gold has long been associated with all things Christmas. It’s rich and decadent, and conjures up images of a regal wise man bringing his gift of gold for the new-born king. It’s also the colour of the shining star that shimmered above the stable in Bethlehem, lighting the way for visitors who wanted to pay their respects to baby Jesus.
White
Snow white doves signifying peace, white is also a colour that makes you instantly think of a winter scene. Children tumbling in the snow, a huge snowman wrapped in a scarf – with a carrot for a nose and pebble buttons. In terms of religious connotations white is linked to purity and in the past white wafers often adorned the paradise trees (these symbolised the bread taken during mass). Churches tend to favour white at Christmas also.
Cream
Cream or ivory is often used as a warmer alternative to white, it has that same winter feel but without the starkness of white. A tree adorned with cream bows and decorations can look very pretty and add a touch of Christmas class to your home. Add cream and ivory decorations to complete the look such as some of the stunning figurines featured in the Willow Tree Christmas 2018 collection.
Blue
Perhaps not the first colour that springs to mind for Christmas, but the Virgin Mary traditionally wore blue robes, and if it’s good another for the mother of baby Jesus it’s good enough for us! Blue was also popular in the past as it was favoured by royalty and those who were considered to be wealthy (this was due to the fact that blue dye and paint was exceptionally expensive, so many could not afford to “buy” the colour)!
All the Christmas Colours of The Rainbow
Nowadays tradition is no longer the order of the day. Some prefer to embrace new ideas and of recent times we’ve seem all sorts of colours pop up at Christmas time. Some opt for a theme such as red and white, traditional red, golds and greens, the warm hues of cream and gold or the slightly quirkiness of pink. There are no hard and fast rules – and that’s part of the attraction of a modern Christmas! You can decorate your home and adorn your tree in whatever colours you like. Make your home perfect for you and your family, and enjoy all that the festive season has to offer.
Merry Christmas from all of us here at Gift Giving x
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