What Is The Green Color For Winter Season?
Green is a color that is often associated with spring and summer, evoking images of new growth, lush foliage, and vibrant plant life. However, green can also be an important and striking color choice for the winter season. Though less common, various shades of green can provide a refreshing contrast to the cooler palette typically associated with winter. Exploring how green is used and perceived during the colder months provides an interesting examination of color psychology, nature, fashion, design, holidays, and more. This article will take a deep dive into the intriguing role green plays across many aspects of winter.
Green in Nature During Winter
Even though many trees and plants lose their leaves or die back in winter, some remain vibrantly green all season long. Evergreen trees like pine, spruce, and fir maintain their green needles through the winter months. Some broadleaf evergreen shrubs also hold onto their foliage, providing pops of color in winter gardens and landscapes.
One of the most iconic winter greens is holly. The glossy green leaves and bright red berries of holly bushes make this plant synonymous with the Christmas season. According to HGTV, the dwarf Japanese holly cultivar Brass Buckle stays colorful with yellow-green foliage all year long. Other evergreen shrubs like boxwood, juniper, and camellia also keep their leaves through winter.
The persistent greens of conifers and broadleaf evergreen plants provide visual interest and structure in the winter garden. Their sturdy greenery offers a living reminder of the life that still exists even during the dormant cold season.
Psychology of Green in Winter
The color green often represents renewal, growth, and new beginnings, which makes it fitting for the arrival of a new year in winter. After the dormancy of nature in winter, the color green evokes the coming of spring and promises life renewing itself. Seeing green in the midst of winter provides a psychological boost.
Green is strongly associated with nature, vegetation, and plant life. Surrounded by the white of snow and bare trees, green offers the warmth and comfort of living things during the cold winter months. Researchers have found that seeing the color green can promote feelings of calm and even improve mood (source). The life-affirming qualities of green provide balance to the starkness of winter.
Green in Winter Fashion
Emerald green is a popular winter color in clothing and accessories. The rich, jewel-tone shade of emerald evokes thoughts of the holiday season and complements cold weather palettes. According to Runway to Street, “emerald awesomeness rules” when it comes to winter fashion. The striking green hue stands out against winter whites and blacks.
Dark forest greens also complement winter wardrobes. Deep green shades pair well with grays, browns, burgundies, and navies commonly found in winter clothing and add dimension to an outfit. Emerald and forest green scarves, hats, gloves, sweaters, coats, and more allow you to incorporate the elegant green tones into your winter style. As Your Color Style notes, emerald green outfits are “perfect for your fall to winter outfits.”
Green Decor for Winter
Green decor is a classic way to spruce up a home for the winter season. The vibrant color of fresh evergreen foliage can brighten up a home during the dark winter months. Using greenery and wreaths is a popular way to decorate for winter holidays like Christmas.
Filling a home with festive greenery helps set the mood for winter gatherings and celebrations. For a natural look, decorate with freshly cut winter greens like pine, cedar, and holly. You can make homemade wreaths and garlands using fresh cut branches. For a low maintenance option, faux greenery can provide a similar festive flair.
To add some green accents to a winter home, try displaying vases of fresh cut greenery or a wreath on the front door. Hang pine roping along a staircase or mantel. Place pinecones and holly berries throughout arrangements for pops of color. For the table, use runner made from winter greens or a centerpiece of mixed evergreen branches. Going green with winter decor is an easy way to spread seasonal cheer.
Sources:
https://www.pinterest.ca/westcoastgarden/decorating-home-with-winter-greens/
Green Winter Weddings
Green is a tranquil, refreshing color for winter weddings. The cool tone of green evokes the crispness of winter and is perfectly suited for weddings during the colder months. Shades like forest green, emerald green, and sage green complement winter elements like evergreens, holly, pinecones, and mistletoe.
Emerald green paired with burgundy is a popular color scheme for winter weddings (https://www.elegantweddinginvites.com/wedding-blog/emerald-green-wedding-color/). The richness of the burgundy accentuates the vibrancy of the emerald green. Green and gold is another elegant combination for a glamorous winter wedding.
For a rustic winter wedding, shades like hunter green, olive green, and moss green work beautifully when combined with natural elements like wood, burlap, and greenery. Accents of mint or sage green can provide a refreshing pop of color. Rustic green wedding ideas include pinecone centerpieces, evergreen garlands, and forest green table runners (https://www.pinterest.com/pin/168462842287430301/).
No matter what shade you choose, green is a gorgeous way to bring the feeling of new beginnings and the renewal of winter into your special day.
Green Foods and Drinks for Winter
During the colder winter months, warm and nourishing green foods can provide comfort and health benefits. Kale is a nutritional powerhouse that can be enjoyed in soups, stews, casseroles, and more to give you an energizing dose of vitamins A, C, and K (source). Simmering kale in broth makes it tender and brings out its earthy, sweet flavor. Avocados are rich in healthy fats and can be added to smoothies or toast for a quick winter breakfast. Matcha green tea is packed with antioxidants and provides a soothing, warming sensation when sipped hot. It also adds a nutty taste when blended into lattes or hot chocolate.
For festive winter cocktails, herbs like basil, rosemary, and thyme can be muddled and combined with vodka or gin for a refreshing green twist. Blending spinach or kale into chilled cocktails imparts color and nutrients while staying hidden in the flavor. Swapping soda water for fresh cucumber-mint juice makes for a delicious light green cooler. Sprigs of rosemary, slices of lime, or frozen grapes add visual appeal and more green hues to wintry drinks.
Green Gifts for Winter
Green is the perfect color for environmentally friendly holiday gifts during the winter. Here are some great suggestions for green-colored or eco-friendly gifts with greenery themes:
Give the gift of an indoor plant or potted tree to add warmth and air purification during the winter months. Popular options are succulents, snake plants, peace lilies, and Norfolk Island pines. Add a decorative pot or planter made from recycled materials for an extra sustainable touch.
For a useful eco-friendly gift, consider reusable food wraps made from bee’s wax and organic cotton. They come in handy for covering leftovers and preventing food waste. Brands like Bee’s Wrap offer them in lively green shades.
Embrace the hygge trend with cozy green knitwear like scarves, hats, and fingerless gloves. Choose brands that use organic cotton, recycled wool, and non-toxic dyes. For extra points, opt for items handmade locally.
Give experiences like tickets to a winter garden tour or a workshop on making eco-friendly gifts and decorations. Educational experiences make great sustainable gifts that don’t require manufacturing or shipping resources.
Upcycle green glass bottles from wine or kombucha into beautiful holiday candle holders. Decorate with twine, pine cones, cinnamon sticks, and other natural elements for rustic charm.
Green self-care gifts like bath bombs, lotions, and masks are wonderful for relaxation during the hectic winter season. Seek out clean, non-toxic formulas from sustainable brands that avoid excess packaging.
Green in Winter Holidays
Green is a popular color incorporated into many winter holiday celebrations. For Christmas, green represents the eternal life of Jesus Christ, similar to how evergreen trees stay green throughout the winter. According to Southern Living, green and red officially became the colors of Christmas as they hold religious symbolism – “Red is the blood of Jesus Christ, and green is the evergreen tree, representing eternal life as it stays this hue throughout the winter.”
During the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, green is featured on the hanukkiah (menorah) as blue and green are colors associated with the Maccabees revolt against the Greeks. Green is also sometimes featured in Kwanzaa celebrations, representing the concepts of collective work and responsibility as well as faith.
So across Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa, green often symbolizes everlasting life, nature, hope, and faith during the winter holiday season. It adds cheerful color to holiday decor and represents the religious foundations of these celebrations (Southern Living, 2023).
Conclusion
As we’ve explored, the color green has an important and fitting role during the winter season. Though many associate winter with colder colors like white, blue, and silver, the color green brings a sense of vibrancy and life to the darkest months of the year.
Green has a renewing effect on our mindset during winter. Seeing shades of green in nature – whether on evergreen trees and plants or fresh green grass peaking through snow – reminds us that even in the depths of winter, life continues. Decorating with green in our homes and fashions allows us to welcome that sense of renewal indoors.
Green also evokes concepts that are central to winter. Evergreen trees stay green through the winter, representing perseverance and resilience. Gifting green presents and decorating with green for the winter holidays brings to mind hopefulness and renewal. Enjoying green winter foods and beverages provides comfort and warmth.
So while winter often turns our world a monochrome white, don’t overlook the power of green to enliven your spirit during the cold months. Use shades of green to welcome in a feeling of rejuvenation and cheer this winter.
