As an old church secretary paraments mean a lot to me. I changed many a backdrop, scarf on the cross, bookmark and pulpit colors. Purple signifies the season of Lent, the six weeks that lead up to Easter Sunday. On Easter the colors change to white. Green is for the longest season of the year known as Ordinary time. Red signifies Pentecost - the birthday of the church. Purple is also used for Advent - the weeks leading up to Christmas. They are a time of waiting. Christmas is white. We celebrate the joy of our Savior's birth. So I love going in and sitting down to the familiar. I don't know if all churches still do this, but I am glad them mine does.