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desertpinstripe t1_j1sev2z wrote

Reply to comment by mysilvermachine in ELI5: Why green and red are the definitive Christmas colors? by P4rturi

I think the red is from holly berries which are red and appear in many traditional solstice celebrations.

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user6876444568998754 t1_j1tadb6 wrote

Plus cardinals, I don’t know if it’s everywhere but cardinals are kind of a winter symbol where I live

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SirDooble t1_j1tu707 wrote

Cardinals only live in the Americas, so while they'll have become a Christmas icon there, they're not well connected to it in Europe.

Europe has the European Robin however, affectionately called the Robin Redbreast in the UK, which has long been associated with Christmas and featured on some of the first Christmas cards.

The European Robin is mostly sedentary, so it doesn't migrate to warmer climates in the winter. When the trees are bare of leaves, it's quite easy to spot a Robin with it's colourful chest against the greys and whites of winter. This makes them quite an iconic image of winter.

It became a staple part of the modern Christmas tradition which started in the 1800s in the UK. It's certainly fair to say it's one part of why the colour red is associated with Christmas time.

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user6876444568998754 t1_j1ua8l3 wrote

Very interesting! I wasn’t sure if cardinals were everywhere or not but funny how it’s basically the same icon just didn’t bird

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