When you think of Christmas, what comes to mind?
Is it a warm, crackling fire illuminating a quiet room with warmth? Is it the thought of your family gathered around the tree exchanging presents? Is it the local mall, bustling with sales and activities? Christmas is all of these things and more. Through the years, a great deal of wisdom has been shared about this most joyful of holidays. So we decided to browse through a collection of Christmas quotes to find 10 of our favorites.
Edna Ferber:
Christmas isn’t a season. It’s a feeling
Deep down, we all know how true this sentiment is. If you’ve been raised in this culture, you know that December 25 is much more than just a date on the calendar. All the cynicism in the world can’t steal that childhood joy you felt when you woke up on Christmas morning. If you can get that feeling back as an adult or create it in someone else, what better way to close out the year?
Dr. Seuss, How the Grinch Stole Christmas:
Maybe Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas means a little bit more!
It’s so easy to fall into the trap of believing that Christmas is all about consumerism. Sure, giving and receiving presents feels good. It makes people happy! There’s nothing wrong with that, but if you’ve ever been depressed because you didn’t get what you wanted, consider the Grinch’s lesson.
Charlotte Carpenter:
If Christmas isn’t found in your heart, you won’t find it under a tree.
What a wonderful thought! How many of you have experienced that weird sensation where you get up for the first time on Christmas morning, and you realize you’re more excited about eating breakfast or drinking coffee than opening presents? Remember, you control how you feel. If you never want to lose that Christmas morning joy, decide for yourself that you’re not going to.
Andy Rooney:
One of the most glorious messes in the world is the mess created in the living room on Christmas day. Don’t clean it up too quickly.
For an infamous curmudgeon, the late Andy Rooney had his moments of optimistic inspiration. Is there anything better than sitting back with a cup of coffee or eggnog and enjoying the wrapping paper bomb aftermath that hit your living room? This joyful mess only comes around once a year, so take a moment to appreciate it.
Susan Walker, Miracle on 34th Street:
I believe…I believe…Even though it’s silly, I believe.
Children don’t get a lot of time these days to believe in things like Santa Claus. The world has become too small, the information out there too readily available. No matter when you learned the truth about Santa, though, you can always choose to believe. It may be ridiculous, but if it puts a light in your heart, what’s the harm?
Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol:
For it is good to be children sometimes, and never better than at Christmas, when its mighty Founder was a child himself.
Few people in history managed to get at the heart of Christmas the way Dickens did in his most famous novel. We can all relate to feeling a little Scroogish every now and then. Embrace the spirit of joy and giving in the holiday season, and you’ll be repaid tenfold for your generosity.
Dale Evans:
Christmas, my child, is love in action. Every time we love, every time we give, it’s Christmas.
Why wait until December to give? If it is truly better to give than to receive, which most people have seen in their own lives, what’s stopping you? Give love, give of yourself, and you’ll find yourself with Christmas in your heart around the calendar.
Henry Van Dyke:
It is not the gift, but the thought that counts.
This is a chestnut we’ve all heard a million times, but how often have you actually internalized it? Unfortunately, people use this to excuse terrible last-minute gifts that clearly had no thought put into them at all. You may prefer to get a Ferrari to a carefully handmade card, but if you can see the love and thought that went into the card, you will realize that it means more than a hundred Ferraris.
Benjamin Franklin:
How many observe Christ’s birthday. How few, His precepts.
Christmas has turned into a largely secular holiday, but there really is a reason for the season. You don’t have to believe in every aspect of the Bible to get some worth from Christ’s teachings. If you do believe, act like it. If you don’t, take the aspects of Jesus’ words that you feel can help you in your life and follow them. For both the Christian and the atheist, there is wisdom in those words.
Linus, Charlie Brown Christmas Special:
Charlie Brown, you’re the only person I know who can take a wonderful season like Christmas and turn it into a problem.
Linus may never have met anyone else who acts like this around Christmas, but you probably have. Maybe you are that person! If so, think about letting some of your stress go. If you feel lonely at this time of year, go out and volunteer. Buy gifts for those less fortunate. If you embrace the Christmas spirit in your heart, you’ll never feel alone.
