This is how Coca-Cola managed to change the colors of Christmas forever

There is no specific story that talks about the colors of Christmas. It’s not just one day, so red and green are declared the official colors of the holiday. There is a long and complicated history behind all of this. Writer Arielle Eckstut, co-author of “The Secret Language of Color”, explained how this happened.

The most interesting of combination of these Christmas colors it is that it combines the beauty of nature and the harshness of the capitalist world. A union that reinforces the image of these colors in the collective consciousness.

Iconic colors

When we think of Christmas and cooler climates, holly and the distinctive beautiful bright red berries often found in the plant’s green foliage come to mind. There is a long history linking holly and its use, including the fact that it is considered the crown of thorns that Jesus wore. During the holiday season, since holly is one of the few shiny things in colder climates, It is believed that nature offers it as a symbol, and the pagans were already using it. To this day, popular thought that associates holly with Christmas persists.

In 1931, Coca-Cola hired an artist named Haddon Sundblom to reinterpret Santa Claus.

The Victorian era is often associated with Christmas red and green. But, if you look back and look at, say, Victorian Christmases, you’ll see not only red and green, but also combinations of blue and red, green, white … and different palettes. Yes, there are red and green, but they don’t dominate the composition.

Change

If you also watch Santa Claus from this era, you won’t see him using his iconic red outfit like you do now. Santa Claus made a leap at the start of the 20th century, when many artists depicted him wearing red dresses. This is when he becomes a more cheerful and plump figure. Then we move quickly to 1931, and Coca-Cola hires an artist named Haddon sundblom to reinterpret Santa Claus.

And then we see him as an incredibly chubby, cheerful, red-cheeked person in his red suit. She wasn’t the first to portray it like this, but Coca-Cola used this ad as its big Christmas campaign and got it seen all over the United States. And it’s from here that we start to see red and green redefined as the colors of Christmas.

As you can see, everything is a combination of nature, with those red berries and green foliage, and the capitalist world, with Coca-Cola and her bright red dress placed in front of a green color in its advertisements. Everything reinforces the two colors in our imagination.