The members of the Sgcarmart media team recently put its heads together to prepare something special and festive for our readers and viewers - which you can both read about and watch on Instagram - and as we were sitting down to plan things out, we were faced at one point with a deceptively simple question:

What are the different meanings behind the colours we associate with Christmas? 

In my very non-expert eyes, three distinct colours stand out: Red, green and white primarily, and then silver and gold further in the background. And all for rather banal reasons. White reminds me of snow; green, of Christmas trees; red, of Santa; and then the silver and gold of decorations and wrappings. (Aside: it seems that all the visual messaging weaponised by large corporations at this time of the year has worked like a dream on my defenceless mind.) 

Again, however, a mixture of curiosity and sleuthing has illuminated that there’s much more than meets the eye (literally) when it comes to Christmas. 

Let’s start with the colours outlined first: 

Red and green: 

I don’t think I’m alone in thinking of Santa first when I see the colour red during Christmas, but it appears that its roots stretch back even further - and are inextricably tied to the colour green too.

A number of sites point back to a pre-Victorian time where holly plants were revered, because they added much-needed amidst the dreariness of winter. On a less visible level, they apparently also signified protection and prosperity. 

To be clear, this is how holly plants look like (and it’s safe to say that they haven’t lost their popularity in modern Christmas culture): 

Turning more specifically towards those who are of the Christian faith, it should come as no surprise too that red is often appreciated as the colour of Jesus’ blood, which was shed during his crucifixion. (Green, on the other hand, apparently symbolises eternal life - in the form of the evergreen trees that don’t lose their leaves in winter.) 

When going down this chromatic rabbit hole, I actually had another bit of a surprise education myself: The modern image of Santa Claus wasn’t actually invented by Coca-Cola (as is often claimed), even if debates can still be had about the company’s role in popularising it.

White:

Apart from the colour of snow, of course, white also has historical links to winter solstice festivals. Other values it symbolises include purity and the trumph of good over evil.

Silver and Gold:

These are admittedly wonderful colours to fall back on when you’re decorating your homes (or Orchard Road). 

But again, many sites consider the strong associations that Christmas has with the birth of Jesus Christ. Silver is said to signify the Star of Bethlehem (which led the Wise Men to the manger where Baby Jesus lay immediately after his birth). Meanwhile, gold (alongside frankincense and myrrh) was one of the gifts that they bore when they visited him. 

Merry Christmas nonetheless - whether colours have any meaning to you, or whether you even enjoy the season

Again, this was just a casual exploration of the colours that often greet us at this time of the year. It doesn’t have to be that deep - I think it’s perfectly fine to take Christmas as a welcome marker for the end of a year, and as a time to reflect (on both the good and bad), to recharge and to look forward. 

Merry Christmas everyone! (And unlike Desmond, I’ll be blasting Mariah Carey for the rest of 2024.)

- Mattheus

(All images from Unsplash)