I am proof positive that a person can be a semi-minimalist, anti-consumer, nonreligious, childfree person who lives in the desert southwest where it never snows, and STILL love Christmas. That’s because I don’t equate the holiday season with any of those labels. To me, Christmas is a time to celebrate the life I have been given and to share and generate peace on earth and good will to all people. And because so many others also celebrate the season in a somewhat similar manner, I think the vibration of joy, peace and happiness is amplified as many of us come together with the same perspective. With that in mind, I spent some time this week looking through hundreds of quotes about Christmastime in order to help me remember and share some of what I consider some of the best thoughts behind the holiday.
Quotes:
“Christmas, my child, is love in action. Every time we love, every time we give, it’s Christmas.” ~Dale Evans
“Nothing that I can do will change the structure of the universe. But maybe, by raising my voice I can help the greatest of all causes – goodwill among men and peace on earth.” ~Albert Einstein
“Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before! What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store? What if Christmas…perhaps…means a little bit more!” ~ Dr. Seuss
“Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind. To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas.” ~Calvin Coolidge
“The only real blind person at Christmas-time is he who has no Christmas in his heart.” ~Helen Keller
“This Christmas, celebrate the season as though it were your last. One day, you’ll be right.” ~Kathleen M. Carroll
“I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.” ~Charles Dickens
“We worry about finding just the right gift, hanging just the right decorations, sending the right card. So many times I say I wish I could slow down, scale back, and reclaim the true meaning of Advent. The reality, though, is that I am the only one preventing that from happening.” ~Susan Hines-Brigger
“He who has not Christmas in his heart will never find it under a tree.” ~ Roy L. Smith
“When we recall Christmas past, we usually find that the simplest things – not the great occasions – give off the greatest glow of happiness.” ~ Bob Hope
“Unless we make Christmas an occasion to share our blessings, all the snow in Alaska won’t make it ‘white’.” ~ Bing Crosby
“This is the message of Christmas: We are never alone.”~ Taylor Caldwell
“They err who thinks Santa Claus comes down through the chimney; he really enters through the heart.” ~ Mrs. Paul M. Ell.
“Christmas gift suggestions: To your enemy, forgiveness. To an opponent, tolerance. To a friend, your heart. To a customer, service. To all, charity. To every child, a good example. To yourself, respect.” ~ Oren Arnold
“The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart. Wishing you happiness.” — Helen Keller
Poems And Songs:
“I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old, familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet
The words repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!” ~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Christmas is not in tinsel and lights and outward show.
The secret lies in an inner glow.
It’s lighting a fire inside the heart.
Good will and joy a vital part.
It’s higher thought and a greater plan.
It’s glorious dream in the soul of man. ~ Wilfred A. Peterson (The Art of Living)
Have yourself a merry little Christmas,
Let your heart be light
From now on,
our troubles will be out of sight
Have yourself a merry little Christmas,
Make the Yule-tide gay,
From now on,
our troubles will be miles away. -~ Hugh Martin & Ralph Blane (“Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”)
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas;
Soon the bells will start,
And the thing that will make them ring
Is the carol that you sing
Right within your heart. ~Meredith Willson (“It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas”)
Let Christmas not become a thing
Merely of merchant’s trafficking,
Of tinsel, bell and holly wreath
And surface pleasure, but beneath
The childish glamour let us find
Nourishment for heart and mind.
Let us follow kinder ways
Through our teeming human maze,
And help the age of peace to come. ~Madeline Morse (Dairymen’s League News)
No more lives torn apart.
That wars would never start.
And time would heal all hearts.
And everyone would have a friend,
Right would always win,
Love would never end.
This is my grown-up Christmas list. -~Amy Grant (“Grown up Christmas List”)
Movies Quotes:
“Look, Daddy. Teacher says, every time a bell rings an angel gets his wings.” ~from It’s A Wonderful Life (1946)
“Oh, Christmas isn’t just a day, it’s a frame of mind and that’s what’s been changing. That’s why I’m glad I’m here, maybe I can do something about it.” ~from “Miracle on 34th Street” (1947)
“It’s Christmas Eve. It’s the one night of the year when we all act a little nicer, we smile a little easier, we cheer a little more. For a couple of hours out of the whole year we are the people that we always hoped we would be.” ~from “Scrooged” (1988)
“This is extremely important. Will you please tell Santa that instead of presents this year, I just want my family back. No toys. Nothing but Peter, Kate, Buzz, Megan, Linnie, and Jeff. And my aunt and my cousins. And if he has time, my Uncle Frank. Okay?” ~from “Home Alone (1990)
“Seeing is believing, but sometimes the most real things in the world are the things we can’t see.” ~from “The Polar Express (2004)
When it is all said and done, I don’t think it matters what we call it, or which of the holidays we celebrate this time of year, as long as we experience the feeling of connection, love, peace for all and the joy and awe of life. After all, no one religion can claim exclusive rights on any of those emotions. So whether you are celebrating Christmas, or Hanukah, or the Winter Solstice or Kwanzaa—may your day (s) be merry and bright. And whichever holiday has meaning for you and those you love, the SMART thing to do is to get in the mood and share it with everyone.
Photo Credit: Attribution Some rights reserved by skippyjon
Your quotes remind me of the Ideal’s Magazine that my mother would get every Christmas. There would be beautiful pictures of snow-covered fields, Christmas trees, horse-drawn sleighs and pictures, and poems to celebrate the season.
Beautiful quotes. Kathy, and a good way to get in the holiday spirit, together with all the colorful, twinkling lights in the neighborhood! 🙂
Great post. Beautiful and full of spirit quotes. Thank you for sharing this lovely article with us.
Hi Jess and Brandon! Glad you liked these quotes too. ~Kathy
Kathy, I hope your Christmas was a special one. You found some lovely quotes here. My favorite has to be the one from the Grinch. 🙂
Hi Lois! Yes, our Christmas was simple, but just what we hoped for. Plenty of good times with friends and loved ones. I’ll bet yours was equally good! Yes to the Grinch and Dr. Seuss! ~Kathy
Merry Christmas Kathy! I hope this coming year surpasses your wildest dreams!!!! See you in 2015! I hope this comment goes through I am struggling with so many obstacles.
Hi Rena! Thank you for persevering! I recently made a few choices to make it a bit easier but I get so much spam I prefer to keep some spam blockers in there. And thank you so much for your good wishes! I wish all the same–and more for you too! May 2015 be an incredible year for us both. ~Kathy
I’m sending this link to a friend who’s in a bah humbug state this week! I hope it helps her mood some.
Hi Carol! I hope this helps ANYONE who could use a little lift this time of year. Thom tends to think the holiday is a little too “Hallmark” and consumer driven but even he said this post got him in the holiday mood. 🙂 ~Kathy
Thank you Kathy! What a wonderful and heartfelt perspective on the celebration of all holidays December. Subscribing to a Seattle newspaper brought to my forefront of thought how pervasive the inches of advertisements are and the only beneficial aspect of those are that I recycle the paper. Reading through your collection reminded me the spirit of celebration does come from within and it shines with simplicity.
Hi Hauola! Thanks for stopping by SMART Living and sharing your thoughts. I’m glad you are able to appreciate all the well-wishes that my quotes inspired in me. I don’t think we need as much “stuff” in our lives as we do the feelings of good will and connection. However you celebrate, I hope you have a wonderful holiday! ~Kathy
Great research. So many of the movie clip lines are ingrained in my brain! I like ‘Have yourself a merry little Christmas’, best!
Hi Haralee! So true huh? I couldn’t resist putting a couple of lines of lyrics in there with the quotes because they are some of the more recognizable “quotes” we all remember above the others. Every single one of them brought memories and thoughts up for me so I was happy to share them with others~
That sound like a great club! All we need is a theme song and mascot… and maybe a secret handshake.
hahahaha….sounds good Janis. How about you come up with all three and we’ll go from there. But I think something with a red nose and reindeer antlers would be appropriate…. 🙂
These are really nice collection especially the Movie Quotes part.Here is one of My favorite.
” No Greeting Card To Give..
No Sweet Flowers To Send..
No Cute Graphics To Forward..
Just
A LOVING HEART
Saying
!!HAPPY X’MAS & NEW YEAR !!”
Hi Happy! Glad you liked my quotes and thank you for adding a great one yourself. Merry Christmas to you! ~Kathy
very meaningful post kathy, loved all your quotes, great collections !! I will steal some quotes from you….its so good… thanks for sharing !! Merry Christmas in advance… the first quote is the best that I liked ” every time we love, every time we give .. its Christmas !!
Hi G Angela! I’m glad you liked the quotes I was able to find. I picked the ones I felt spoke to me the most and although there are some funny holiday quotes out there–I stayed with the ones that “felt” good to me. And yes, Christmas can be any time we love and anytime we give! Merry Christmas to you! ~Kathy
As a fellow non-religious, child-free, wanna-be-more-of-a-minimalist, anti-consumerism person who lives in the desert southwest (coastal version), I have to agree! Despite the craziness that can occur this time of year there is much to celebrate.
Happy Winter Solstice! I celebrate that too because it means the hours of daylight will slowly last longer and longer as we move towards spring!
Hey Janis! Wanna be part of the new club that NancyTex and I creating? 🙂 I think there are LOTS of us who appreciate the energy and focus behind the holiday but don’t go for any exclusive religious perspective. Celebrating the peace, joy and good will that all the holidays generate this time of year in no way detracts from any one way another person wants to experience it. Happy Winter Solstice to you and anything else you decide to enjoy! ~Kathy
Hi Kathy,
This is a beautiful post, warming the hearts with the wisdom of the world! Thank you for sharing.
Though there are many quotes here which are my favorites but I love what Oren Arnold said.
Wishing you a wonderful Christmas and Happy Holidays.
Hi Balroop! Thank you for letting me know what you think. My mind was so caught up in the “season” that I couldn’t think of a better thing to post. And yes, wasn’t that quote by Oren Arnold so great? I hope you too have a VERY Merry Christmas no matter who you celebrate with and how you celebrate! ~Kathy
I’m a fellow non-religious-but-still-loving-of-Christmas person, Kathy! 🙂
My son and his girlfriend arrived home from college 2 days ago, so my house and heart are now both full. Love Christmas!
Hi Nancy! Maybe we should start a club? I’ll bet there are a lot more of us than we know. I hope you are having a wonderful holiday and experiencing all the good that this season offers. Merry Christmas! ~Kathy
Thanks for this. Reflections on Christmas make the time of year even more important and heart-warming.
Hey Beth! Glad you liked my little collection. May you and everyone you love have a truly Merry Christmas! ~Kathy