Green represents the evergreen tree, representing eternal life as it stays that way throughout the winter.
In some cultures, Red is believed to be the colour symbolic of the blood of Jesus Christ.
Red and green colours also represent the leaves and holly berries embodying the crown of thorns on Jesus' head on the cross.
According to Arielle Eckstut, author of 'The Secret Language of Color', there is no 'definitive history' to red and green being Christmas colours. They long played a role in winter solstice celebrations that predate the spread of Christmas.
Red and Green are indeed Christmas colours. But it possibly wasn't the case always as they have been special colours since even before Christmas.
According to Ecktut, it happened because of a combination of natural phenomena mixed with other cultural forces. Particularly, the 1930s Coca-Cola advertisements that featured paintings of Santa Claus with a red outfit to boot. This depiction of Santa didn't really exist in collective cultural consciousness before the soda company’s advertisements, Eckstut told TIME magazine.
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