Welcome to Part Two of our Holiday Color Series. Now that we are fully in December, it is time to talk about the official color of Christmas: Red. Not only is it adorning the windows of shops and the sweaters of my coworkers, I can also see it appearing more and more in our greenhouses, fields, and shipping coolers.
Origin of Christmas Red
The use of red at Christmas has its history rooted in both pagan and Christian beliefs, tracing back to the Middle Ages, when using red and green symbolized the end of cycle and the beginning of a new one—typically around the winter solstice. Christians associated red with this tradition as well, but they used it to indicate the sacred color of Christ's blood. They celebrated the change of season with medieval miracle plays about the story of creation and Adam and Eve, featuring a "paradise tree" hung with red apples. The holly berry, too, became associated with Christ's blood, along with the red robes of church bishops. All these uses preceded the red of Santa's suit (which was actually made popular by artist Fred Mizen and Coca-Cola in the 1930s).
Regardless of the origin of using red with Christmas, it is here to stay. All the better, I say, as there is a wealth of holiday flora that come in that nostalgic and symbolic, Christmas Red.
To read the rest of the story, please go to: Sun Valley Group's Flower Talk
