Tired: White Christmas, Wired: Pink Christmas

May your days be merry and bright, but may all your Christmases be pink! If you’re finding yourself drawn to hot pink ornaments, pastel pink Christmas trees, and even blush garland, you aren’t alone. One of the major Christmas decor trends this year is simply pink, and it’s a vibe that works for a variety of styles. Traditional Christmas fans, retro Christmas fans, modern Christmas fans — everyone can join the pink trend.

I found out I was pregnant with my third daughter in November of 2021, and suddenly I wanted an all pink Christmas. I didn’t go full Barbie, but I picked a pink ceramic tree for the girls’ shared room, a pink reindeer ornament, and a pack of soft pink bottle brush trees. I was in pink mode for my girls, but the obsession was here to stay, and I’m clearly not alone. Whether it be because 2023 is the year of Barbie and Taylor Swift or because pink is just that good of a color, “pink Christmas” has skyrocketed as a Google trend. It feels like such a specific decor choice, but because of the many variations of pink and the different ways the color palette can work with the decor you already have, it’s not as off-the-wall as you’d think.

Pink as a color is steeped in history. Once considered a “masculine” color because of its ties to the dominant red, pink was often used to dress boys and wasn’t yet considered a “girl” color. And thanks to icons of the 1950s and ‘60s, the color pink snagged some glamorous aspects and became a color women wanted to be seen in. That era also ushered in some bright, happy changes in home styles, thanks to Mamie Eisenhower, who famously wore a pink dress to the inauguration of her husband, President Dwight D. Eisenhower, prompting people to call the color “Mamie pink.” The White House was even referred to as The Pink Palace thanks to Mamie’s redecorating, and a trend was born. (Pink. The trend was pink.)

Retro Pink Christmas Decor

Pink has popped up in Christmas decorations for years, even before Eisenhower made it popular. While red, green, and white are known as the traditional Christmas colors (it makes sense — green for trees; red for ribbons and poinsettias, etc.), the entire rainbow has show up in decor trends before, and nearly all of them can be linked to different themes of the holiday. Lots of blue can be for a winter wonderland scheme, while a lot of orange and yellow could be for a citrus Christmas vibe or a “Mele Kalikimaka” kind of style.

When you find pink Christmas decor, it’s often linked to candy themes, gingerbread houses, and sugarplum fairies a la The Nutcracker. And since The Nutcracker didn’t hit New York City until 1954, it’s easy to see how pink tones could have affected Christmas decor that decade — along with Mamie in The White House.

Nutcracker Pink Christmas Decor

But the sudden jump in pink as a Christmas trend — honestly, just as a trend in general — this year probably isn’t because of Mamie Eisenhower. There was a whole Barbie movie where people, especially women, found great joy in dressing up and letting their closets explode in a sea of pink without a second thought. There were Taylor Swift concerts, where people, especially women, shared friendship bracelets with each other and wore hot pink sequins and ombré pink bodysuits without shame. There was #balletcore, a fashion trend that started early in the year with a focus on soft pink, tulle, and layers.

Fun Pink Christmas Decor

Pink is here to stay — it always has been. From Ralphie’s pink bunny suit in A Christmas Story to Cindy Lou Who’s pink nightgown in the 1966 movie How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, pink has been a part of Christmas for a while. And whether you’re a Christmas traditionalist or someone who likes to change up your decor each year and get a little wild, there is a pink Christmas style for you. Pink comes in so many shades, and depending on what you like for your own Christmas decor, there’s a way to make the color work for you this season.