Why Are Christmas Decorations Important?

Christmas is a very important holiday in the West, a time of colorful, delicious food, and entertaining friends and family. From festive meals to carefully hung stockings and presents under the tree, Christmas is all about celebrating, spending time with friends and family, and eating lots of shortbread. Part of what makes the holiday so festive is the decorations and lights that adorn our homes and businesses throughout the holiday season. But why do we decorate for the holidays? Where did these traditions come from? Read on to find out!

Why are Christmas decorations mostly red and green?

In contemporary holiday decorating, there are dozens of colors and styles that can be used to decorate homes for the holidays. However, traditional holiday decorations are all red and green. Why? It turns out that these colors all have a religious background. Green is associated with the continuation of life in winter and the belief in the eternal life of Jesus. Meanwhile, red is traditionally used to symbolize the blood of Jesus. Today, people use red and green to celebrate this holiday in both non-religious and religious contexts!

About the Origin of the Christmas Tree

For many of us, the Christmas tree is one of the most symbolic images of the holiday season. There are several theories about the origin of the Christmas tree. One theory is that the Christmas tree itself was a "Christianization" of pagan traditions associated with the winter solstice. These traditions included decorating with evergreen branches. The modern Christmas tree can be traced back to 18th century Germany, and possibly even to the 16th century. From Germany, the practice of cutting down trees and bringing them indoors spread to England via Queen Charlotte (wife of George III), and soon thereafter to North America.

The decoration of the Christmas tree itself represents an interesting period in the history of lighting. Christmas trees were not always decorated with strings of electric lights. In fact, they were not decorated until long after the tree was brought indoors! Candles have long been associated with Christmas, but not for the festive reasons you might think. For many people, candles were the only means of warmth and light during the long, dark, and cold winter months. However, decorating the Christmas tree with candles did become a popular trend.

Outdoor Holiday Lighting

The advent of Christmas tree lighting and outdoor holiday lighting is undoubtedly related. However, the history of celebrating the holidays with lights goes back much further than our friend Thomas Edison would have us believe. In fact, decorating with lights dates back to Christmas, when the Northern Europeans celebrated this mid-winter tradition. Their celebrations included watching the Yule log burn while drinking "Yule", a sacrificial beer of the Norse god Odin. It was believed that lighting the Yule log would summon the return of the sun while driving away evil spirits. Some believe that the Christian tradition was built on the idea of the Yule log, using lights during the holiday to represent Jesus illuminating the darkness.

Over time, candles were used to provide light and heat in the home during the winter, and to greet travelers from remote areas. Candles were used in homes long before Christmas trees appeared on the front door. In the Christian tradition, candles symbolize welcoming Mary and Joseph.