SM Home reinvents the classics with a red-and-green Christmas like no other.
By JOANNE RAE M. RAMIREZ
Classics are far from plain and predictable. Done well, not only are they a sight to behold. They’re also a nod to traditions. And traditions are what anchor and give us a sense of identity and belongingness in a fast-changing, ever-evolving world.
This Christmas, SM Home shines the spotlight on the classics, bringing back the magic of holidays past with updated and stylized interpretations of iconic Yuletide décor and home accessories such as Christmas trees, Santa Claus and snowman figures, Nutcracker soldiers and various holiday trimmings in warm, familiar shades of red, green and a dash here and there of white and gold.
Bright and happy traditions
These bright, happy colors traditionally usher in the start of Philippine Christmas, or what we Filipinos take pride in as the longest Christmas season in the entire Christian world. If legend is to be believed, the choice of red and green as defining colors during Christmas predates Christianity. In an online article by US-based Southern Living magazine, it says that as winter months in the northern hemisphere set in, Celtic people from ancient times were said to revere and celebrate red-and-green-colored holly plants for thriving in the cold. They believed that God created holly to keep the earth beautiful even during those long and dreary months. So, they decorated their homes with it during winter solstice celebrations in the hopes of bringing protection and good luck to their families.
With the advent of Christianity, red and green, as can be gleaned in the Scriptures, now symbolize the life and times of Jesus Christ. Red, adds Southern Living magazine, represents the blood of Christ, while green is the evergreen tree, “representing eternal life as it stays this hue throughout the winter. These two colors also represent the leaves and holly berries embodying the crown of thorns on Jesus’ head on the cross.”
Where to get them
Whether you want to relive your childhood, as you pine for the warmth and magic of Christmases past, or are simply looking for classic-looking Yuletide décor with an updated twist, SM Home has it all for you — from such classic must-haves as Christmas trees, wreaths, centerpieces and Nutcracker soldiers to more contemporary staples like Santa Claus and snowman plushies, felt stockings, Christmas villages and timeless trinkets.
And no matter how young or old you are, its wide array of holiday offerings appeal to both classic and contemporary tastes for both kids and adults from one to 92.
As we gear up for the holidays, SM Home takes us back to where it all started, a red-and-green Christmas like no other. True, there’s built-in warmth and easy acceptance for symbols and colors we’ve grown up with. But the classics, if reimagined well, like SM Home has, may yet surprise us, giving us reasons to be awed and to smile anew.
