The complete guide and history of Christmas colors

The holidays are right around the corner, and that means it’s time to start gearing up for all things Christmas. And whether you’re decorating your home, designing your Christmas cards, or baking Christmas cookies, one of the most recognizable elements of the holiday season?

Christmas colors.

Red and green are, hands down, the colors that most people associate with Christmas. But why are red and green considered traditional Christmas colors? What’s the history behind it? And Are there any other color combinations you can incorporate into your holiday decor or cards while still capturing the spirit of Christmas?

The history of Christmas colors actually goes further back in history than Christmas itself.

The red and green color scheme that we now associate with Santa, decking the halls, and all things Christmas was originally tied to a winter holiday, a holiday that predates the celebration of Christmas—the winter solstice.

Holly, with its vibrant green leaves and red berries, played a large role in historic winter solstice celebrations. Unlike other plants, holly, with its vibrant green leaves and red berries, stays green all winter long—and, as such, ancient Celtic civilizations believed that holly was a sort of good luck charm, bringing beauty, joy, and prosperity to households during the cold, dreary winter months. The Celtics would decorate their homes with the plants (or, you might say, they “decked their halls with boughs of holly”) to celebrate the winter solstice and usher good fortune into the New Year.

Red and green as Christmas colors may have started with the winter solstice, but they really became solidified in modern history as part of an advertising push in the 1930s from Coca-Cola.

"Coca-Cola hired an artist to create a Santa Claus," Arielle Eckstut, co-author of Secret Language of Color⁠(opens in a new tab or window) said in a 2016 NPR article⁠(opens in a new tab or window). "They had done this before, but this particular artist created a Santa Claus that we associate with Santa Claus today in many ways: He was fat and jolly — whereas before he was often thin and elf-like — and he had red robes. ... And so the fact that all these things came together — this friendly, fat Santa in these bright red robes...this really took hold in...culture."

This advertising campaign was the birth of the modern-day Santa—and thanks to the contrast of Santa’s red suit against a green Christmas tree, it was also the beginning of the widespread association between the holiday and a red/green color scheme.

The Coca-Cola version of Santa has been a mainstay in pop culture since the 1930s. Incorporate Santa into your Christmas card designs with one of Canva’s Christmas card templates, like the Red Funny Illustrated Santa Claus Christmas Card⁠(opens in a new tab or window) or the Green Santa Illustration Christmas Card⁠(opens in a new tab or window).

Red and green may be the traditional “pop culture” Christmas colors. But Christmas is, for many, a religious holiday—and when looking at the holiday through a religious lens, there are a few other Christmas colors that warrant mentioning, including:

Purple

During Advent (which occurs during the four weeks leading up to Christmas), many churches lay a purple altar cloth over their altar to signal the start of the Christmas season.

Sending out your Christmas cards during Advent? Purple can be a great color choice for your Christmas cards. Get started with one of Canva’s templates, like the Purple Blue Starry Christmas Card or the Dark Purple Cute Naughty or Nice Christmas Card.⁠(opens in a new tab or window)

Blue

While many churches use a purple cloth during Advent, some churches use a blue cloth. Blue is also a color that’s associated with Mary, the Mother of Jesus, who plays a large part in the Christmas origin story.

Blue also has non-religious roots as a Christmas color. Prior to Coca-Cola’s establishment of a red Santa in the 1930s, Victorian Christmas cards often featured Santa in blue robes⁠(opens in a new tab or window).

Blue is a great color choice for Christmas cards—whether you’re religious or not. Get started with one of Canva’s blue Christmas card templates, like the Blue Modern Anything Christmas Card⁠(opens in a new tab or window) or the Dark Blue & White Cat Illustration Funny Christmas Card⁠(opens in a new tab or window).

White

While purple—and sometimes blue—are often the central colors during the Advent season, on the actual Christmas holiday, many churches use white as their primary Christmas color, decorating the church with a variety of white decorations (including white candles and a white cloth draped over the altar).

White is the perfect backdrop for a variety of Christmas card designs, styles, and color schemes. Incorporate white into your Christmas card design with one of Canva’s templates, like the Gold and White Polaroid Simple Christmas Card⁠(opens in a new tab or window) or the Red and White Simple Photo Christmas Card⁠(opens in a new tab or window).

Do the traditional Christmas colors not feel like a fit for your holiday decor, holiday cards, or holiday in general? Not to worry! There are plenty of alternative color schemes you can use to make your holiday feel festive and true to your style and design aesthetic.

Some alternative Christmas color schemes you may want to explore include:

Neutral with a pop of color

Neutrals might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you hear Christmas colors—but when paired with a strong accent color, they can make for the perfect backdrop for your holiday decor, cards, or other festivities. Keep your palette mostly neutral (think gray, cream, and black) and then let a strong accent color—like red—take center stage. The end result will create a striking contrast—and add some serious visual interest to your holiday.

Metallics

“Silver and Gold” is one of Christmas’ most popular songs—and it’s also a great inspiration for your Christmas color palette. Thanks to their sparkle and shine, metallics—including gold, silver, and copper—are the perfect Christmas colors.

Gold, white, and blue

If you want to embrace traditional Christmas colors without going for a red and green color palette, try combining gold, white, and blue in your Christmas designs and decor. All the hues qualify as traditional Christmas colors—but the unexpected pairing creates a unique, unexpected look that’s anything but traditional.

Pink and green

If you want a fresh, modern take on the red and green Christmas color palette, try swapping out the red for pink! Pink has a more playful, fun feel than a more traditional red—but when paired with green, still has the look and feel of Christmas.

Christmas colors play a big role in everything from Christmas decorations to ornaments to place settings. And one place where your Christmas colors will certainly take center stage?

Your Christmas cards.

Here are a few tips to help you choose the perfect Christmas color palette for your holiday cards this year:

Figure out if you want your colors to feel understated or “merry and bright”

Choosing which colors you want to feature in your Christmas card designs⁠(opens in a new tab or window) is important—but so is determining how vibrant you want those colors to be.

A Christmas card with bright, vibrant colors is going to have a completely different look and feel as a card with more muted, understated tones—even if the two designs share similar color palettes (for example, a bright, cherry red is going to have a different look than a more muted maroon).

Before you make your Christmas card⁠(opens in a new tab or window)—and choose your color palette—determine if you want your Christmas colors to read as “merry and bright” or more toned down and understated. For a fun and festive option that leans into bright, bold colors, consider pairing your design with Disney Christmas wrapping paper⁠(opens in a new tab or window) to carry the theme through your holiday presentation.

Thinking you want to incorporate more muted colors into your Christmas card? Try a more understated design, like Canva’s Green Charcoal Trees and Snow Christmas Art Card⁠(opens in a new tab or window) template. Want something more cheerful? Go for a brighter design, like the Red Yellow Green Christmas Art Card⁠(opens in a new tab or window) template.

Think about how your photo plays into your color scheme

If you’re going to incorporate a photo into your Christmas card design, it’s important to think about how that photo is going to play into your design—and, more specifically, how the colors in your photo are going to play into the colors in your Christmas card.

For example, if you and your family are all wearing red sweaters in your Christmas photo, you may want to incorporate red into your Christmas card color palette—or at least choose colors that pair well with red (like green or white). If you’re using a black-and-white photo, you may want to choose an accent color (like a bold gold) for your Christmas card design to keep it from feeling too flat or visually uninteresting.

Want to incorporate your Christmas portrait into this year’s Christmas card? Get started with one of Canva’s Christmas card templates, like the Red Simple Christmas Photo Card⁠(opens in a new tab or window) or the Green and Crimson Foliage Modern Christmas Card⁠(opens in a new tab or window).

Go traditional with your colors…

If you’re on the fence about what colors to incorporate into your Christmas card color palette, you can always fall back on the most traditional Christmas colors of all—red and green.

Incorporating red and green into your Christmas card design will ensure that your design feels distinctly Christmas-y—and that everyone who opens it immediately knows they’re reading a holiday card.

When choosing Christmas colors for your Christmas card design, you can’t go wrong with red and green. Embrace tradition with one of Canva’s Christmas card templates, like the Green with Santa Naughty or Nice Christmas Card⁠(opens in a new tab or window) or the Red Christmas Tree Christmas Art Card.⁠(opens in a new tab or window)

...or ignore tradition and do your own thing

Red and green may be the most traditional Christmas colors. But if you’re not a fan of the red/green color combination, you absolutely don’t have to use them in your Christmas card design; it’s perfectly fine to buck tradition and choose a color palette that’s more aligned with your own personal style, preferences, or design aesthetic.

Traditional Christmas colors not for you? No worries! Canva has plenty of Christmas card templates with unexpected (and non-traditional) color schemes to choose from, like the Pastel Pink and Grey Freeform Abstract Business/Company Holiday Card⁠(opens in a new tab or window) or the Gold Christmas Thank You Card⁠(opens in a new tab or window).

Want to get festive for the upcoming holidays? Then try out our Christmas cards⁠(opens in a new tab or window) or videos⁠(opens in a new tab or window), and start designing the most perfect holiday greeting for your loved ones.