| The main colors of Christmas are red and green. Did | | | | served as the tree that bore the forbidden fruit. This |
| you ever wonder why this is? The association of red | | | | pine tree with the red apples eventually became a |
| and green with Christmas is worldwide. One can | | | | tradition in all churches and was used in their |
| speculate and come up with lots of ideas about when | | | | Christmas celebrations every year. |
| and why these colors were first associated with | | | | The tree became known as the Paradise Tree and |
| Christmas. | | | | soon people began erecting pine trees in their own |
| Green comes from evergreens which have been | | | | homes during the holiday season decorated with red |
| used since ancient times to celebrate the winter | | | | apples. This began the tradition of Christmas trees |
| solstice. In the early days of the Roman Catholic | | | | and the most popular explanation for the use of the |
| Church when the pagan rituals of the winter solstice | | | | colors of red and green for the holidays. |
| were merged into the celebration of Christ's birth | | | | Another explanation is that green symbolizes the |
| evergreens continued to be used. In winter solstice | | | | hope Jesus gave us through his sacrifice and is the |
| celebrations evergreens symbolized life that survived | | | | color of evergreens which stay alive all year. Red is |
| through the long, dark winters. The Christians thought | | | | said to symbolize the blood of Christ in this |
| of green as symbolizing the hope for eternal life that | | | | explanation. The blood was shed by Jesus so that |
| Jesus offers. | | | | people could be saved and when combined with |
| A commonly accepted explanation for the use of red | | | | green it expresses the hope of our redemption |
| and green is based on a historical fact. Back in the | | | | through Christ sacrifice. |
| 1300's Adam and Eve's day was celebrated on | | | | Holly is a popular Christmas decoration because it |
| Christmas Eve. Churches in those days presented a | | | | combines the color of green in its leaves with the red |
| lot of plays because most people were illiterate. The | | | | of its berries. Traditional Christmas wreaths have |
| plays were focused on religious stories of importance | | | | always been decorated with red bows and red |
| to the church and were called miracle plays. On Adam | | | | berries. Santa Claus has always had a red costume |
| and Eve's day the play was called the paradise play | | | | and Rudolph the Reindeer has always had a red nose. |
| and portrayed what happened in the garden of eden. | | | | These colors are here to stay and will always |
| There wasn't an apple tree available in the winter so | | | | represent the holidays in most peoples minds. |
| they made one by tying apples to a pine tree and it | | | | |