The Colors of Christmas, 1800s

Posted byEllen Kingman FisherPosted in19th century lifestylesTags:,

The colors green and red have centuries of myths and traditions. Before the Christian Era, Pagans worshiped trees, particularly evergreen trees, that did not shed their leaves. They cut some down to take inside during winter. Outside, they used trees for bonfires to celebrate the winter solstice by bringing light to the darkest days of the year.[1] Celtic Pagans brought holly and ivy indoors during the cold months because they retained their color and were believed to ward off evil spirits.[2]

                    In more modern times, Christmas trees were first used in the German-speaking lands of Central Europe in the1600s. Protestant artisans brought conifers into their homes during the holidays and decorated them with red paper roses, apples, white wafers, and tinsel.[3] To many Christians, the Christmas tree represented Christ as the true tree of life, whose birth they celebrated on Dec. 25.[4] Hence the tradition of evergreen trees for Christmas trees with red decorations symbolizing the blood of Christ’s crucifixion.  

          Medieval Germans celebrated a festival in addition to Christmas. They called December 24th “Adam and Eve Day” to commemorate the story of the fall of man. Some churches hailed the two in the Garden of Eden as saints. Combining their story with Christmas created a theme of hopeful redemption through the birth of a savior.[5]      

          When they moved, the Germans brought the ritual of decorating Christmas trees—the custom spread from elite households to less wealthy households, from urban to rural settings, and from protestants to Catholics. Moravians added to the tradition with lighted candles on the trees.[6]

          Hessian soldiers stationed in the Province of Quebec to garrison the colony against American attack introduced the Christmas tree to North America in 1781. The Baron and Baroness of Riedesel held a Christmas party for the Hessian officers with a tree decorated with candles and fruit.[7]

          In North America, the image of a family gathered around a decorated evergreen lighted with candles became popular in the mid-1800s. The tradition’s popularity may have come from a woodcut of the British royal family with their Christmas tree at Windsor Castle.

Initially published in 1848 in The Illustrated London News, it was copied in the U.S. at Christmas 1850 in Godey’s Lady’s Book. It was a replica, except Queen Victoria’s tiara was removed and Prince Albert’s mustache trimmed.

The result was an American scene. (8)

The Christmas trees and other traditions with nuances added from different cultures and religions continue throughout the world. Christmas joy often comes from being together and remembering past celebrations.

Ellen Fisher, December, 2024

[1] [Big Think] 

[2] Bob Richter, vintage lifestyle expert and author of “A Very Vintage Christmas” and “A Very Vintage Holiday.”

[3] Perry, Joe, Christmas in Germany: A Cultural History. University of North Carolina, September, 2010, p. 32.

[4] Lori Sawaya, color strategist at The Land of Color.

[5] Why Apples on a Christmas Tree, M. B. Henry, 2018.] 3    According to Becker Udo in The Continuum Encyclopedia of Symbols.

[6] Joeph F. Kelly, 2010.

[7] Werner, Emmy E. In Pursuit of Liberty; Coming of Age in the American Revolution. Greensborough Publishing, 2006, p. 115.

Published by Ellen Kingman Fisher

Dr. Fisher was a senior program officer with the Gates Family Foundation and the Director of the Molly Brown House Museum in Denver. She served on the board of the Colorado State Historical Society (now History Colorado) for 26 years and on the Advisory Board of the National Trust for Historic Preservation for nine years. Historic Denver gave her the Molly Brown Spirit Award for community service. Similarly, the University of Colorado at Denver gave her the Alumni Recognition Award for her role in developing the public history (applied history) program at CU Denver. Her publications include Junior League: Leaders in Community Service 1918-1993, “Power’s Dynamo Unloosed: Henry L. Doherty and the Denver Gas and Electric Company,” and One Hundred Years of Energy, Public Service Company of Colorado. Hill’s Gold, her first novel, was awarded first place in historical fiction by the Colorado Independent Publishers Association and was a finalist in the Colorado Authors League awards. The Price of a Contract is the second historical fiction in a series about business entrepreneurs in the American West and won a CIPA bronze award. The Ring of a Bell, a novel set during the Gilded Age about the protagonist’s coming of age, women’s efforts to gain the right to vote, and the early development of the telephone, was published in September 2024. The author has spent most of her life in Colorado enjoying the outdoors, including climbing all of Colorado’s fourteeners, Mt. Rainier, and Kilimanjaro. She and her husband have three grown children and four grandsons.

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