The Colours of Christmas

Nicola here on the third day of Christmas, talking about colours (or even colors!) For me this year, Christmas has been a very colourful occasion. White, red and gold have traditionally been the colours associated with Christmas in my home ever since I was a child and helped my grandmother decorate the tree each year. Red always reminds me of the vivid berries that you can still find in the hedgerows, feeding the birds, in the winter. Gold feels bright and regal and white is for snow, of course! White decorations arethe closest we've been to a white Christmas here in quite a while! Together they all look lovely with the green of the tree.

Before Christmas I went to a light show at my local arboretum. It was magical to stroll through the trees and watch the play of light on the bare branches, bringing out the shadows and patterns in the wood. They had recreated the Northern Lights and they rippled overhead as you walked along an avenue of huge trees. it was the most beautiful sight and quite enchanting. Meanwhile, the church in my parents' village was lit up with purple, which I discovered is the colour of advent.

Finally, my favourite Christmas present was these rather fabulous gloves with their multi-coloured trim! Overall I do feel as though I have had a beautifully-coloured and illuminated Christmas which, when it's a bit dark and cold outside, is wonderfully bright and warming. I hope your Christmas has been full of light as well.

What are your favourite colours of Christmas?

Comments

[Quantum]

I like to visit cathedrals and parish churches at this time of year. The flower displays and colourful decorations are often magnificent and on Christmas Eve the alter frontal colours will have been changed from purple (for Advent) to white or silver. Though not religious myself, I am a great admirer of church music and the faith that inspires many people. Carols from Kings on the TV is always a treat that kick starts my festive spirit. As the spiritual meaning of Christmas is important to me I choose purple and silver as my Christmas colours. I'm now looking for a scarf or tie in these colours to celebrate this wonderful season!

[Nicola Cornick]

Quantum, I had no idea that the purple/pink shades were related to advent until this year, and I think it is a beautiful idea. I enjoy the church music too. Those traditions go very deep for me. I love that you've adopted purple and silver as "your" seasonal colours! Good luck in finding the appropriate accessories.

[Mary Jo Putney]

Nicola, a lovely post (colourful! *G*). I loved Quantum's reply also. Be warned: I have some Christmas light pictures that might just show up here soon!

[Andrea Penrose]

I love church music and architecture as well, and find it wonderful for inspiring quiet reflection. I've never had specific "Christmas colors" but love the brightness of many hues to make the darkest days of the years a bit cheerier.

LOVE those gloves, Nicola. They are gorgeous!

[Nicola Cornick]

LOL, Mary Jo, we will look forward to seeing those!

[Nicola Cornick]

Thanks so much, Andrea! Aren't they gorgeous? I was so thrilled to get them. One of the things we've seen increasingly this year in UK churches is the use of lights to illuminate all the special festivals and events. Along with the music it has been quite wonderful.

[Sue McCormick]

I do not have specific Christmas colors (although I tend to go along with the "traditional" Red and Green of the U. S.).

I agree with the above comments about eclesiatical architecture and about Church music; particularly the music of Christmas and of Easter. In the specific church where my children grew up, we were all in choir. So we all learned the same anthems. In that church we learned a jewish anthem which was sung during the week before Easter.

(Perhaps I should mention that in my personal church calendar, I always see Christmas and Easter together. That is I concentrate on both the "beginning" and the "end" of the story twice a year.)

[theo]

I have no seasonal 'colors' to speak of. I love all the colorful lights people use on their homes, but I prefer a white light on my tree. I don't know why. We used to do the red/green/white on our tree when I was growing up.

And I want those gloves! Wouldn't want to share what the brand is, would you? ;)

[Kareni]

I'm another who favors no particular seasonal colors though I will say that red is a favorite all year round. And, yes, those gloves look wonderful, Nicola.

[Mary M.]

Yes, colo(u)r and sound are the heart of Christmas for me, too. Here's a short video that includes both, my little Christmas gift to all of you. (If the link doesn't work, search Youtube for 'A Peacock Spider Christmas'.) https://youtu.be/HYFQQB9vqPw

P.S. Love the gloves!

[Nicola Cornick]

Sue, how lovely to have been in the choir and still have all those memories and associations of Christmas and Easter music! Such things are very special and stay with us forever.

[Nicola Cornick]

I think a white light is lovely - just so clear and bright!

So pleased you like the gloves, Theo! They came from https://www.mywalit.com/

[Nicola Cornick]

Thanks so much, Kareni! The gloves are so special and now I've discovered the brand I suspect there may be more matching accessories on the way!

[Nicola Cornick]

Thank you, Mary. Wow, that video is amazing! I don't really like spiders but I have to admit this one is exceptionally colourful and very clever too!

[Annette N]

I am a fan of red at Christmas. My tree has a preponderance of red decor. I have a collection of Santa Toby mugs which are mostly red. I have a collection of musical snow globes and most of them have a lot of red on the figures inside.

As for music, I like Christmas music very much. And on a regular basis, when I need a lift, I go to Youtube and play the video of the Messiah flash mob at a mall in Philadelphia. It always makes me feel elation but it also makes me cry because of the beauty.

[Karen W.]

We like the deep purples and the burgandy reds and dark winter greens. But we also like the royal blue and silver which are the Hanukkah colours.
Thanks for sharing, Nicola. I hadn't realized that the royal purple we loved so much was for advent. I love learning new things. I tell my kids, if you don't learn at least one new thing a day, you're not paying attention!

[Vicki L]

No specific colors for me. But I do require COLOR, no white lights for me. Nope, colored lights all the way. House and tree. I use a colored Christmas light string connected to my bird bath heaters so I can tell when they are on or off.

As to the ornaments and Christmas décor...all colors!Though the Christmas wreath I made this year was green and red. But all the "things" I have that I put out are every color under the sun.

Those gloves are sooo beautiful. Cheerful and makes the need to wear gloves more tolerable I would think.

[Binnie Syril Braunstein]

Nicola-I love burgundy and deep green as Christmas colors. If I had an outside tree, it would be festooned with tiny blue lights. But since I observe Chanukah, my seasonal colors would be blue and white. And there's also the golden brown of potato latkes. I also love your gloves. There can never be too many wonderful gloves. I just bought a pair of grey embellished gloves that reach halfway up my forearm.

[Nicola Cornick]

Ooh, another glove person! I LOVE them. I used to watch Lucy Worsley's history programmes and feel quite envious of her red leather gloves. I've still to get some of those!
Blue and white is a lovely colour combination. A number of my neighbours have blue and white lights outside and they look glorious. Happy Chanukah!

[Nicola Cornick]

Hi Vicki! Your lights and decorations sounds wonderfully bright and cheerful. Lovely! Yes, the gloves make the cold weather a positive benefit!

[Nicola Cornick]

Well you can't get more Christmassy and cheerful than red! I love that we still see the red berries in nature at the time of year. It's not all dead leaves and bare trees.

The Messiah flash mob is so stirring. I think the best musical experience is so emotional that it does make you cry for it's beauty.

[Nicola Cornick]

LOL, Karen! I had no idea about the advent colours either. I love the rich jewel-bright colours of winter when it feels cold and dark.