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AN OLD-FASHIONED CHRISTMAS
Text Copyright © 2018 Hatherleigh Press
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.
ISBN: 978-1-57826-777-4
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher.
DESIGN BY CAROLYN KASPER
Printed in the United States
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CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS
SELFLESSNESS
HUMOR
FAMILY AND FRIENDS
FAITH
THROUGH THE EYES OF A CHILD
INTRODUCTION
CHRISTMAS IS SUCH A magical time of year. We take pause to reflect on our lives and determine to show our loved ones how much they mean to us. We gather with family and friends to exchange gifts and make merry, and the joy and fulfillment found in those moments in turn create lasting memories.
This book collects quotes from authors, ministers, world leaders, philosophers and comedians, each pondering the meaning of Christmas.
As you count down the days to Christmas every year, let this book help usher you into the season. If you know someone in need of Christmas cheer, the wisdom and kindness contained in these quotes can prove a soothing balm. And if you need a boost of goodwill and merriment—no matter the time of year—these glimmers of Christmas spirit will certainly do the trick!
WILL HONOR Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.
—CHARLES DICKENS
EMEMBER, IF Christmas isn’t found in your heart, you won’t find it under a tree.
—CHARLOTTE CARPENTER
OR CENTURIES men have kept an appointment with Christmas. Christmas means fellowship, feasting, giving and receiving, a time of good cheer, home.
—WILLIAM JEWETT TUCKER
HRISTMAS 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
HRISTMAS IS the gentlest, loveliest festival of the revolving year—and yet, for all that, when it speaks, its voice has strong authority.
—W.J. CAMERON
TRULY BELIEVE that if we keep telling the Christmas story, singing the Christmas songs, and living the Christmas spirit, we can bring joy and happiness and peace to this world.
—NORMAN VINCENT PEALE
EACE ON earth and mercy mild are still possible. On Christmas Eve, all things are possible.
—GREGG EASTERBROOK
HRISTMAS IS a season not only of rejoicing but of reflection.
—WINSTON CHURCHILL
HE WAY you spend Christmas is far more important than how much.
—HENRY DAVID THOREAU
HE THING about Christmas is that it almost doesn’t matter what mood you’re in or what kind of a year you’ve had; it’s a fresh start.
—KELLY CLARKSON
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
HRISTMAS 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
TARS OF heaven, clear and bright, shine upon this Christmas light, vaster far than midnight skies are its timeless mysteries.
—TIMOTHY DUDLEY-SMITH
RESHLY CUT Christmas trees smelling of stars and snow and pine resin—inhale deeply and fill your soul with wintry night.
—JOHN J. GEDDES
HE GREAT majority of people will go on observing forms that cannot be explained; they will keep Christmas Day with Christmas gifts and Christmas benedictions; they will continue to do it; and some day suddenly wake up and discover why.
—G.K. CHESTERTON
Y IDEA of Christmas, whether old-fashioned or modern, is very simple: loving others. Come to think of it, why do we have to wait for Christmas to do that?
—BOB HOPE
HRISTMAS IS here, merry old Christmas, gift-bearing Christmas, day of grand memories, king of the year!
—WASHINGTON IRVING
OW, THE essence, the very spirit of Christmas is that we first make believe a thing is so, and lo, it presently turns out to be so.
—STEPHEN LEACOCK
ON’T LET the past steal your present. This is the message of Christmas: We are never alone.
—TAYLOR CALDWELL
AVE YOU any old grudges you would like to pay, any wrongs laid up from a bygone day? -Gather them now and lay them away when Christmas comes. Hard thoughts are heavy to carry, my friend, and life is short from beginning to end; be kind to yourself, leave nothing to mend when Christmas comes.
—WILLIAM HAINES LYTLE
HRISTMAS 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.
—WILFERD PETERSON
HERE IS no ideal Christmas; only the one Christmas you decide to make as a reflection of your values, desires, affections, traditions.
—BILL MCKIBBEN
HRISTMAS IS not just a day, an event to be observed and speedily forgotten. It is a spirit which should permeate every part of our lives.
—WILLIAM PARKS
EACE ON earth will come to stay, when we live Christmas every day.
—HELEN STEINER RICE
HRISTMAS WAVES a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful.
—NORMAN VINCENT PEALE
HE SPIRIT of Christmas is—and hopefully always will be—about good will and generosity to others, and peace on earth.
—NICK RAHALL
HRISTMAS IS not a date. It is a state of mind.
—MARY ELLEN CHASE
HRISTMAS IS the day that holds all time together.
—ALEXANDER SMITH
SOMETIMES THINK we expect too much of Christmas Day. We try to crowd into it the long arrears of kindliness and humanity of the whole year. As for me, I like to take my Christmas a little at a time, all through the year.
—RAY STANNARD BAKER
ET NO pleasure tempt thee, no profit allure thee, no persuasion move thee, to do anything which thou knowest to be evil; so shalt thou always live jollity; for a good conscience is a continual Christmas.
—BENJAMIN FRANKLIN
T CHRISTMAS play and make good cheer, for Christmas comes but once a year.
—THOMAS TUSSER
HRISTMAS! THE very word brings joy to our hearts.
—JOAN WINMILL BROWN
LESSED IS the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love.
—HAMILTON WRIGHT MABIE
SN’T IT funny that at Christmas something in you gets so lonely for—I don’t know what exactly, but it’s something that you don’t mind so much not having at other times.
—KATE LANGLEY BOSHER
AY YOU have the gladness of Christmas which is hope; the spirit of Christmas which is peace; the heart of Christmas which is love.
> —ADA V. HENDRICKS
HE CHRISTMAS spirit—love—changes hearts and lives.
—PAT BOONE
LESSED IS the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love. It is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the air.
—WILLIAM THOMAS ELLIS
HRISTMAS AND the holidays are the season of giving. It’s a time when people are more kind and open-hearted.
—GISELE BUNDCHEN
HRISTMAS IS a kindling of new fires.
—GLADYS TABER
NLESS WE make Christmas an occasion to share our blessings, all the snow in Alaska won’t make it “white.”
—BING CROSBY
HE JOY that you give to others is the joy that comes back to you.
—JOHN GREENLEAF WHITTIER
HRISTMAS IS more than a time of music, merriment and mirth; it is a season of meditation, mangers and miracles. Christmas is more than a time of carols, cards and candy; it is a season of dedication and decision.
—WILLIAM ARTHUR WARD
HE GREATEST thing is not to believe in Santa Claus; it is to be Santa Claus.
—PAT BOONE
HRISTMAS IS the season for kindling the fire of hospitality in the hall, the genial flame of charity in the heart.
—WASHINGTON IRVING
HRISTMAS DAY is a day of joy and charity. May God make you very rich in both.
—PHILLIPS BROOKS
LOVE THE Christmas-tide, and yet, I notice this, each year I live; I always like the gifts I get, but how I love the gifts I give!
—CAROLYN WELLS
HRISTMAS MEANS “giving,” and the gift without the giver is bare. Give of yourselves; give of your substance; give of your heart and mind.
—GORDON B HINCKLEY
HE MANNER of giving is worth more than the gift.
—PIERRE CORNEILLE
HRISTMAS IS most truly Christmas when we celebrate it by giving the light of love to those who need it most.
—RUTH CARTER STAPLETON
HRISTMAS HAS a way of bringing out the best in everyone.
—BING CROSBY
HE EXCELLENCE of a gift lies in its appropriateness rather than in its value.
—CHARLES DUDLEY WARNER
HRISTMAS, MY child, is love in action. Every time we love, every time we give, it’s Christmas.
—DALE EVANS
LOVE EVERYTHING about the holidays: the decorations, the parties, and spending time with friends and family. What I love most is that feeling of giving back. Every bit counts.
—BRAD GORESKI
O CELEBRATE the heart of Christmas is to forget ourselves in the service of others.
—HENRY C. LINK
HE CHRISTMAS spirit is the spirit of those who, like their Master, live their whole lives on the principle of making themselves poor—spending and being spent—to enrich their fellow humans, giving time, trouble, care and concern, to do good to others—and not just their own friends—in whatever way there seems need.
—J.I. PACKER
RESENTS ARE made for the pleasure of who gives them, not the merits of who receives them.
—CARLOS RUIZ ZAFON
HRISTMAS IS doing a little something extra for someone.
—CHARLES M. SCHULZ
VERY GIFT which is given, even though it be small, is in reality great, if it is given with affection.
—PINDAR
HE JOY of brightening other lives, bearing each other’s burdens, easing other’s loads and supplanting empty hearts and lives with generous gifts becomes for us the magic of Christmas.
—WILLIAM CAREY JONES
HRISTMAS IS a necessity. There has to be at least one day of the year to remind us that we’re here for something else besides ourselves.
—ERIC SEVAREID
HOLIDAY GIVES one a chance to look backward and forward; to reset oneself by an inner compass.
—MAY SARTON
ET US remember that the Christmas heart is a giving heart, a wide-open heart that thinks of others first.
—GEORGE MATTHEW ADAMS
HRISTMAS IS a time when everybody wants his past forgotten and his present remembered.
—PHYLLIS DILLER
HRISTMAS CARDS are technically only junk mail from people you know.
—PATRICIA MARX
NCE AGAIN, we come to the Holiday Season, a deeply religious time that each of us observes, in his own way, by going to the mall of his choice.
—DAVE BARRY
HERE IS a remarkable breakdown of taste and intelligence at Christmas time. Mature, responsible grown men wear neckties made of holly leaves and drink alcoholic beverages with raw egg yolks and cottage cheese in them.
—P. J. O’ROURKE
O YOU want to feel insecure? Count the number of Christmas cards you sent out, and then count those you received.
—MILTON BERLE
ID YOU ever notice that life seems to follow certain patterns? Like I noticed that every year around this time, I hear Christmas music.
—TOM SIMS
HRISTMAS SWEATERS are only acceptable as a cry for help.
—ANDY BOROWITZ
HERE ARE three stages of man: he believes in Santa Claus; he does not believe in Santa Claus; he is Santa Claus.
—BOB PHILLIPS
HRISTMAS TREE stands are the work of the devil and they want you dead.
—BILL BRYSON
HE WORST gift is a fruitcake. There is only one fruitcake in the entire world, and people keep sending it to each other.
—JOHNNY CARSON
CYNIC IS just a man who found out when he was ten that there wasn’t any Santa Claus, and he’s still upset.
—JAMES GOULD COZZENS
ANTA CLAUS has the right idea—visit people only once a year.
—VICTOR BORGE
ERRY CHRISTMAS to all. A Pagan holiday (BC) becomes a Religious holiday (AD). Which then becomes a Shopping holiday (USA).
—NEIL DEGRASSE TYSON
IKE EVERYONE in his right mind, I feared Santa Claus.
—ANNIE DILLARD
HRISTMAS AT my house is always at least six or seven times more pleasant than anywhere else. We start drinking early. And while everyone else is seeing only one Santa Claus, we’ll be seeing six or seven.
—W.C. FIELDS
NE OF the things I had a hard time getting used to when I came to California in ‘78 was Santa Claus in shorts.
—DENNIS FRANZ
OTHING’S AS mean as giving a little child something useful for Christmas.
—KIN HUBBARD
HIS PAST Christmas, I told my girlfriend for months in advance that all I wanted was an Xbox. That’s it. Beginning and end of list, Xbox. You know what she got me? A homemade frame with a picture of us from our first date together. Which was fine. Because I got her an Xbox.
—ANTHONY JESELNIK
LOVELY THING about Christmas is that it’s compulsory, like a thunderstorm, and we all go through it together.
—GARRISON KEILLOR
AST CHRISTMAS, I got the worst gift a guy ever gave me. He gave me a lottery ticket…what’s the guy even thinking there. Here you go…nothing! Merry Christmas! It’s nothing!
—NORM MACDONALD
HAT’S THE true spirit of Christmas; people being helped by people other than me.
—JERRY SEINFELD
HE PRINCIPAL advantage of the non-parental lifestyle is that on Christmas Eve you need not be struck dumb by the three most terrifying words that the government allows to be printed on any product: “Some assembly required.”
—JOHN LEO
THROW A Christmas party at my house. It’s not really a Christmas party, because I don’t want to call it a Christmas party. But let’s just say I put a lot of Christmas trees around the house, so it smells good.
—BILL MURRAY
HRISTMAS BEGINS about the first of December with an office party and ends when you finally realize what you spent, around April fifteenth of the next year.
LOVE THE excess of Christmas. The shopping season that begins in September, the bad pop star recordings of Christmas carols, the decorations that don’t know when to come down.
—MO ROCCA
NE 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.
—ANDY ROONEY
WRAPPED MY Christmas presents early this year, but I used the wrong paper. See, the paper I used said “Happy Birthday” on it. I didn’t want to waste it so I just wrote “Jesus” on it.
—DEMETRI MARTIN
LOVE CHRISTMAS. I receive a lot of wonderful presents I can’t wait to exchange.
—HENNY YOUNGMAN
T’S ALWAYS consoling to know that today’s Christmas gifts are tomorrow’s garage sales.
—MILTON BERLE
EXT TO a circus there ain’t nothing that packs up and tears out any quicker than the Christmas spirit.
—KIN HUBBARD
ND THE Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled ‘till his puzzler was sore. 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
ROM A commercial point of view, if Christmas did not exist it would be necessary to invent it.
—KATHARINE WHITEHORN
MERRY CHRISTMAS to all my friends except two.
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