What they mean
• Source: color-meanings.com »
Red and Green
Christmas is a time for family, celebration, and for many people, for worship. And like most holidays, it has its own distinctive color palette. In almost every case, that palette includes red and green, although those aren’t the only Christmas colors.
Red and green share essentially the same Christmas-color origin story. And when it comes to holiday decorations, you rarely see one color without the other.
The original sources of the green found in Christmas decorations are evergreen plants, thought to represent Christ’s eternal life. More »
White
White is a color that’s rich with symbolism in its own right. In Western culture, white is a color connected to both purity and peace.
The birth of Jesus was an illustration of the purity of God’s love for humanity, and it was also a sign of peace on Earth. More »
Brown
Brown might not be the most glamorous color there is, but it’s a common part of many Christmas decoration schemes. Its humble earthiness is reminiscent of the stable where Jesus was born. It’s also the color of pinecones. More »
Gold
Gold is a richly-colored metallic that looks right at home against deep green and crimson red. We know gold as the most precious of precious metals. Frankincense is an aromatic tree resin often used in perfumery, and myrrh is another tree resin used in medicine and as a fragrance. More »
Bronze
As metals go, bronze is fairly demure, but that quality makes it fit in nicely with just about any color. You can include bronze in a metallic decoration scheme with copper, gold, and silver. But you can also add it as a grounding influence in a more traditional red and green scheme. More »
Silver
You’ve probably heard Christmas songs about silver bells, but that’s not the reason silver has become one of the classic Christmas colors. Silver is associated with the Star of Bethlehem, the star that the Wise Men followed in order to find the baby Jesus.
Silver also reminds us of snowy landscapes, which may be part of why it features so prominently in so many decoration schemes. More »
Purple
When you imagine Christmas colors, purple probably isn’t the first one that comes to mind. However, purple is an integral part of Christmas, or at the very least, it’s a part of the weeks leading up to it.
In Christianity, purple is associated with Jesus Christ. It’s the color of royalty, and Jesus is regarded as the King of Kings. More »
Blue
Though it may not be one of the best-known Christmas colors, blue is still associated with this joyful holiday. In particular, blue has historically been connected to the Virgin Mary, Jesus’s mother. The shade represents her purity, captures the beauty of the sky, and marks her as royalty. More »
Burgundy
Red and purple are both Christmas colors, and burgundy strikes a middle ground between the two. It combines the joyful intensity of red with the quiet prayerfulness of purple.
From a design perspective, burgundy is also a great color to incorporate into your decoration scheme. It’s deep enough to ground lighter shades like white and silver. More »
Celebrating the beauty of the winter season, these iconic colors of the season will help you do it!
The Creative Designer
Jacob Olesen, founder of Color Meanings, is a world-renowned color expert with nearly 20 years of professional experience in digital design and a leading authority on how colors influence human emotion and behavior. Check him out here »