What do the "Christmas colors" red and green symbolize?

There are many symbols associated with Christmas. Some can mean different things to different people. I have a story that appeared in some women's magazine some years back. Unfortunately, I don't know the name of the magazine or the author. The upshot of the story was that most of the symbols pointed back to the Savior. Here are some of the symbol and what they mean.

Red symbolizes the blood that Jesus spilt to redeem us from our sins.
Green is the color of life. Therefore, green symbolizes the potential for eternal life that Jesus' sacrifice made possible for all of us.
The evergreen tree is green all year round. So, it also symbolizes eternal life.
The flame of a candle, the lights on the tree and the star on top are all meant to remind us of the new star that appeared to proclaim the birth of the promised Messiah.
The bell is a reminder of the bells worn by sheep. They provide a means for the shepherd to find the sheep that has wandered from the flock and become lost. They symbolize our pleas to the Good Shepherd for guidance back to His flock.
The candy cane is shaped like a shepherd's staff. It symbolizes the responsibility that we all have to be shepherds, to help each other and guide each other back to God.
Finally, the bows on the top of the presents are symbolic of brotherhood. It should be a reminder that, just as the ribbons are tied together, we should all be tied together by the knowledge that we are all God's children and, therefore, brothers and sisters.

These are just some of the symbols of Christmas. Some of them come to us from pagan religions and were incorporated into Christianity as the pagans were converted. They probably had other meanings to the pagans. However, the important thing is what they mean to us today. To me, they serve as reminders of just what it is that we are supposed to be celebrating with this holiday. If you think about it, you can probably come up with additional symbols and meanings of your own.

Early Christians of Northern Europe decorated their homes and churches with this easily grown evergreen they called the “Holy Tree” . “Holly” because of its pointed green leaves reminded them of the crown of thorns and the red berries of the drops of blood at Jesus' crucifixion. The red and green colours remained and are used for Christmas celebrations. Holly and berries are very popular in Europe at Christmas time.

The ancient Egyptians used the colour green to symbolize the triumph of life over death.

Early Romans used evergreen boughs to mark the feast called the Saturnalia.

The mysterious Druids and their Alban Arthuan festival decorated their temples with evergreens as a symbol of everlasting life.

In the ancient Celtic tradition the Sluagh-Sidhe of Brug na Boinne are said to be dressed in the traditional Celtic colors of "Yule"; yellow, green and red.

This question has already been asked and answered (http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/11783).

The red is for the blood of American soldiers who died for your freedom and the green is for the tons of weed they smoked to get them through their days.

red is the blood of Jesus.
green - Jesus has given us life