Christmas is the time for good will to all and peace on Earth. These timeless Christmas quotes from the world’s greatest add to your own greetings.
Christmas is a time for greetings and spreading joy and peace. Commercial Christmas cards have been around from 1843 when Henry Cole first printed the cards saying “Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to You” in London, England.
Merry in old English actually means “blessed”. Today, Christmas has become the year’s busiest season for the post office.
Millions of greetings are sent around this time each year. To personalize your greeting, here are some ideas for quotes and sayings.
Funny Christmas Quotes
If you want to make people laugh, try incorporating some of these funnies for a really Jolly Christmas!
”What do you call people who are afraid of Santa Claus? Claustrophobic.”
Or try this priceless Shirley Temple quip, “I stopped believing in Santa Claus when I was six. Mother took me to see him in a department store and he asked for my autograph.”
Dave Barry tells the following hilarious snippet in “Christmas Shopping: A Survivor’s Guide.” It pokes gentle fun to the sometimes sensitive issues dividing communities. “In the old days, it was not called the Holiday Season; the Christians called it ‘Christmas’ and went to church; the Jews called it ‘Hanukkah’ and went to synagogue; the atheists went to parties and drank. People passing each other on the street would say ‘Merry Christmas!’ or ‘Happy Hanukkah!’ or (to the atheists) ‘Look out for the wall!’“
Although you may not wish to use these two quotes in your Christmas greetings, they certainly touch a nerve: “Christmas is the season when you buy this year’s gifts with next year’s money,” by an unknown author. Or this one makes many remember their own childhood: “Nothing’s as mean as giving a little child something useful for Christmas“ by Kin Hubbard.
“Mail your packages early so the post office can lose them in time for Christmas.” ~ Johnny Carson
“Once again we find ourselves enmeshed in the Holiday Season, that very special time of year when we join with our loved ones in sharing centuries-old traditions such as trying to find a parking space at the mall. We traditionally do this in my family by driving around the parking lot until we see a shopper emerge from the mall, then we follow her, in very much the same spirit as the Three Wise Men, who 2,000 years ago followed a star, week after week, until it led them to a parking space.” ~ Dave Barry
“Next to a circus there ain’t nothing that packs up and tears out faster than the Christmas spirit.” ~ Frank McKinney “Kin” Hubbard
“I once bought my kids a set of batteries for Christmas with a note on it saying: ‘Toys not included.'” ~ Bernard Manning
“I once wanted to become an atheist, but I gave up – they have no holidays.” ~ Henry Youngman
“I stopped believing in Santa Claus when I was six. Mother took me to see him in a department store and he asked for my autograph.” ~ Shirley Temple
“A lovely thing about Christmas is that it’s compulsory, like a thunderstorm, and we all go through it together.” ~ Garrison Keillor
No self-respecting mother would run out of intimidations on the eve of a major holiday. ~ Emma Bombeck
“The one thing women don’t want to find in their stockings on Christmas morning is their husband.” ~ Joan Rivers
“Anyone who believes that men are the equal of women has never seen a man trying to wrap a Christmas present.” ~ Unknown
“Oh look, yet another Christmas TV special! How touching to have the meaning of Christmas brought to us by cola, fast food, and beer. Who’d have ever guessed that product consumption, popular entertainment, and spirituality would mix so harmoniously?” ~ Bill Watterson in Calvin and Hobbes
“The worst gift is a fruitcake. There is only one fruitcake in the entire world, and people keep sending it to each other.” ~ Johnny Carson
“Christmas is a time when everybody wants his past forgotten and his present remembered.” ~ Phyllis Diller
“Santa is very jolly because he knows where all the bad girls live.” ~ Dennis Miller
“Christmas is a time when people of all religions come together to worship Jesus Christ.” ~ Bart Simpson in The Simpsons
“Why is Christmas just like a day at the office? You do all the work and the fat guy with the suit gets all the credit.” ~ Unknown
“I never believed in Santa Claus because I knew no white dude would come into my neighborhood after dark.” ~ Dick Gregory
“What I don’t like about office Christmas parties is looking for a new job the next day.” ~ Phyllis Diller
“Santa Claus has the right idea. Visit people once a year.” ~ Victor Borge
Related: 30+ Funny Christmas Quotes
Traditional Christmas Quotes
“Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmas-time.” ~Laura Ingalls Wilder
“It was always said of him, that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge. May that be truly said of us, and all of us! And so, as Tiny Tim observed, ‘God bless us, every one!'” ~Charles Dickens
“It is Christmas every time you let God love others through you. Yes, it is Christmas every time you smile at your brother and offer him your hand.” ~Mother Teresa
“And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.” ~Luke 2:7
Modern Yuletide Sayings
“Christmas, my child, is love in action. Every time we love, every time we give, it’s Christmas.” ~ Dale Evans Rogers
“I believe in miracles, I believe in magic too. Oh, I believe in Santa Claus and I believe in you.” ~Dolly Parton in the lyrics to her song ‘Once Upon a Christmas’
“The only real blind person at Christmastime is he who has not Christmas in his heart.” ~Helen Keller
“What God intended for you goes far beyond anything you can imagine.” ~Oprah Winfrey
“Peace on earth will come to stay, when we live Christmas every day.” ~Helen Steiner Rice
Short Christmas Quotes
A lovely thing about Christmas is that it’s compulsory, like a thunderstorm, and we all go through it together. ~ Garrison Keillor
“Christmas is Family, Friends, Hope, Joy, Memories, Peace and Love.” ~ Author Unknown
“At Christmas play and make good cheer, For Christmas comes but once a year” ~ Thomas Tusser
Bless us Lord, this Christmas, with quietness of mind; Teach us to be patient and always to be kind. ~ Helen Steiner Rice
Christmas is a time when you get homesick – even when you’re home. ~ Carol Nelson
Christmas is the day that holds all time together. ~ Alexander Smith
“It is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the air.” ~ W.T. Ellis
Christmas is not as much about opening our presents as opening our hearts. ~Janice Maeditere
“As long as we know in our hearts what Christmas ought to be, Christmas is.” ~Eric Sevareid
Christmas is a feeling true friends share with laughter and love to show that they care. ~Unknown
Christmas is love come down to earth, a gift of infinite worth. ~Unknown
Gifts of time and love are surely the basic ingredients of a truly merry Christmas. ~Peg Bracken
May this Christmas be bright and merry. Happy Holidays! ~Unknown
Famous Christmas Quotes
When Christmas bells are swinging above the fields of snow, we hear sweet voices ringing from lands of long ago, and etched on vacant places are half-forgotten faces of friends we used to cherish, and loves we used to know. – Ella Wheeler Wilcox
Christmas doesn’t come from a store, maybe Christmas perhaps means a little bit more… – Dr. Seuss
Christmas is taken very seriously in this household. I believe in Father Christmas, and there’s no way I’d do anything to undermine that belief. – Carol Ann Duffy
Christmas, my child, is love in action. Every time we love, every time we give, it’s Christmas. – Dale Evans Rogers
Gifts of time and love are surely the basic ingredients of a truly merry Christmas. – Peg Bracken
Christmas is joy, religious joy, an inner joy of light and peace. – Pope Francis
Christmas is not just a time for festivity and merry making. It is more than that. It is a time for the contemplation of eternal things. The Christmas spirit is a spirit of giving and forgiving. – J. C. Penney
I love Christmas, not just because of the presents but because of all the decorations and lights and the warmth of the season. – Ashley Tisdale
Inspirational Christmas Quotes
” The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other.” ~Burton Hillis
“Christmas is doing a little something extra for someone.” ~ Charles Schulz
“Christmas is for children. But it is for grown-ups too. Even if it is a headache, a chore, a nightmare, it is a period of necessary defrosting of chill and hide-bound hearts.” ~ Lenora Mattingly Weber
“There is nothing sadder in this world than to awake on Christmas morning and not be a child.” ~ Erma Bombeck, in I Lost Everything in the Post-Natal Depression
“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
“Instead of being a time of unusual behavior, Christmas is perhaps the only time in the year when people can obey their natural impulses and express their true sentiments without feeling self-conscious and, perhaps, foolish. Christmas, in short, is about the only chance a man has to be himself.” ~ Francis C. Farley
“Christmas, children, is not a date. It is a state of mind.” ~ Mary Ellen Chase
“A Christmas candle is a lovely thing; It makes no noise at all, But softly gives itself away; While quite unselfish, it grows small.” ~ Eva K. Logue
“Christmas is a time when you get homesick – even when you’re home.” ~Carol Nelson
“As we struggle with shopping lists and invitations, compounded by December’s bad weather, it is good to be reminded that there are people in our lives who are worth this aggravation, and people to whom we are worth the same.” ~ Donald E. Westlake
“Never worry about the size of your Christmas tree. In the eyes of children, they are all 30 feet tall.” ~ Larry Wilde, in The Merry Book of Christmas
Merry Christmas Quotes
Whatever else be lost among the years, Let us keep Christmas still a shining thing: Whatever doubts assail us, or what fears, Let us hold close one day, remembering its poignant meaning for the hearts of men. Let us get back our childlike faith again. ~ Grace Noll Crowell
Christmas Eve was a night of song that wrapped itself about you like a shawl. But it warmed more than your body. It warmed your heart… filled it, too, with a melody that would last forever. ~ Bess Streeter Aldrich
Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful. ~ Norman Vincent Peale
Bless us Lord, this Christmas, with quietness of mind; Teach us to be patient and always to be kind. ~ Helen Steiner Rice
“Be merry all, be merry all,
With holly dress the festive hall;
Prepare the song, the feast, the ball,
To welcome merry Christmas.”
~ William Robert Spencer
“Heap on the wood! – the wind is chill;
But let it whistle as it will,
We’ll keep our Christmas merry still.”
~Sir Walter Scott
Peace on earth will come to stay, When we live Christmas every day. ~ Helen Steiner Rice
“A merry Christmas to everybody! A happy New Year to all the world!” ~ Charles Dickens
“Through a frosty winter night
In a sleigh with reindeer flight
Bringing joy to large and small
Merry Christmas one and all.”
~ Unknown
Christmas… that magic blanket that wraps itself about us, that something so intangible that it is like a fragrance. It may weave a spell of nostalgia. Christmas may be a day of feasting, or of prayer, but always it will be a day of remembrance — a day in which we think of everything we have ever loved. ~ Augusta Rundel
“A little smile, a word of cheer, A bit of love from someone near, A little gift from one held dear, Best wishes for the coming year … These make a Merry Christmas!” ~ John Greenleaf Whittier
December is here and the Christmas spirit fills the air. Let us honor our king who is near and dear. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
May Santa bring you the gifts you want and may you never take your blessings for granted. Be thankful and Merry Christmas! Happy holiday wishes to you!
You make the stars shine brighter and the winter days warmer just by being in my life. Merry Christmas to my favourite person in the world.
May this Christmas end the present year on a cheerful note and make way for a fresh and bright New Year. Here’s wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Christmas is really a time for families to unite. It is a time to share all the laughter and cheers. Without you, this family will not be called a family. You complete our lives. Merry Christmas . . . !!!
May the joy and peace of Christmas be with you all through the Year. Wishing you a season of blessings from heaven above. Happy Christmas!!
The true heart of Christmas is one of wonder and warmth. May any festive stress you feel fade away and be replaced with this. Merry Christmas!
Christmas is the time to touch every heart with love and care. Christmas is the time to receive and send blessings. It is the time to breathe the magic in the air. Wishing you a very Merry Christmas.
Having you as my friend makes me feel as if it is Christmas every day. Merry Christmas to my dear friend, may this season be filled with joy and laughter for your and your family.
May this Christmas end the present year on a cheerful note and make way for a fresh and bright New Year. Here’s wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Christmas is not a time nor celebration, but a state of mind. To cherish peace and kindness, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas.
Witty Holiday Inspirations
“Let us not be justices of the peace, but angels of peace.” ~Saint Theresa of Lisieu
“Christmas is for children. But it is for grownpus too. Even if it is a headache, a chore, and nightmare, it is a period of necessary defrosting of chill and hidebound hearts.” ~Lenora Mattingly Weber
“I once bought my kids a set of batteries for Christmas with a note on it saying, toys not included.” ~Bernard Manning
“Never worry about the size of your Christmas tree. In the eyes of children, they are all thirty feet tall.” ~Larry Wilde
“Christmas is the season when you buy this year’s gifts with next year’s money.” ~Unknown
Christmas Card Quotes
There are lots of Christmas quotes to consider when adding one to a holiday card. Some can inspire, while others are meant to put a smile on someone’s face. If possible, write quotes out by hand.
This is really a way to create a stand-out card that can proudly be displayed. The following quotes are quite inspirational:
“From home to home, and heart-to-heart, from one place to another. The warmth and joy of Christmas brings us closer together.” ~Emily Matthews
“Christmas is a day of meaning and traditions, a special day spent in the warm circle of family and friends.” ~Margaret Thatcher
“Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love.” ~Hamilton Wright Mabie
“Peace on Earth will come to stay, when we live Christmas every day.” ~Helen Steiner Rice
“For the spirit of Christmas fulfills the greatest hunger of mankind” ~Loring A. Schuler
Christmas Cards Sayings
Although most Christmas card quotes are more on the serious side, some Christmas quotes are meant to be humorous. Try one of the following quotes to give someone a holiday chuckle:
“Anyone who believes that men are the equal of women has never seen a man trying to wrap a Christmas present.” ~anonymous
“Mail your packages early so the post office can lose them in time for Christmas.” ~Johnny Carson
“Christmas is a race to see which gives out first – your money or your feet.” ~anonymous
Christmas Quotes About Home, Family
“I’ll be home for Christmas,” sang Bing Crosby over a half a century ago, echoing deeply felt sentiments about making it home no matter what felt all over the world. And who can ever compare with the classic “White Christmas” song also by Cosby: “I’m dreaming of a white Christmas.” The ideal Christmas seems to be covered in real snow!
A quote by Carol Nelson expresses it this way: “Christmas is a time when you get homesick – even when you’re home.” W.J. Ronald Tucker takes it one step further: “For centuries men have kept an appointment with Christmas. Christmas means fellowship, feasting, giving and receiving, a time of good cheer, home.”
From home to home, and heart to heart, from one place to another. The warmth and joy of Christmas, brings us closer to each other. ~Emily Matthews
“My 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
Christmas is the day that holds all time together. ~Alexander Smith
“At Christmas, all roads lead home.” ~Marjorie Holmes
“Christmas is doing a little something extra for someone.” ~Charles M. Schulz
Christmas is all about love, family and children. it doesn’t matter what we eat or what presents we get as long as the holidays are spent with loved ones. happy happy happy christmas. ~Anonymous
“Christmas is joy, religious joy, an inner joy of light and peace.” ~Pope Francis
“The 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
Christmas is the season of joy, of holiday greetings exchanged, of gift-giving, and of families united. ~Norman Vincent Peale
“This is the message of Christmas: We are never alone.” ~Taylor Caldwell
Christmas time is cherished family time. family time is sacred time. ~Anonymous
“Santa Claus has the right idea. Visit people once a year.” ~Victor Borge
Christmas is the Same Across Centuries
Who can say it better than a poet? Henry Wadsworth Longfellow put it immortally in the early 1800’s:
“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!”
And the modern day poets and troubadours sing the same sentiments. Although John Lennon seemingly had his differences with traditional Christianity, his classic hit “So This is Christmas” celebrates the traditional Christmas message of peace on earth and good will to all men:
“And so this is Christmas
For weak and for strong
For rich and the poor ones
The world is so wrong
And so happy Christmas
For black and for white
For yellow and red ones
Let’s stop all the fight
…War is over
If you want it
War is over
Now…”
Christmas is the Time for Goodwill for All Men
Christmas also celebrates the Holy Mother Mary, as well as the birth of Christ. Schubert’s Ave Maria’s words are originally from Sir Walter Scott’s poem The Lady of the Lake. Celine Dion’s pure voice suits it perfectly. The words echo the Christmas message of peace on earth and hope:
“Ave Maria! maiden mild!
Listen to a maiden’s prayer!
Thou canst hear though from the wild,
Thou canst save amid despair.”
Maria Carey can move many to tears by her masterful rendition of “O Holy Night,” composed by Adolphe Adam in early 1800’s France . The words speak of hope:
“Oh, holy night, the stars are brightly shining
It is the night of our dear Savior’s birth…
..A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices…
…Fall on your knees, oh, hear, hear the Angels’ voices”
“Silent Night, Holy Night” is one of the world’s most popular Christmas songs. It’s said to be written by Mohr and Gruber in Oberndorf, Austria, on Christmas Eve in early 1800s, but some sources say it’s a much older folk tune. In any case, the sentiments remain no matter what the origins:
“Silent night, holy night
All is calm, all is bright
…Sleep in heavenly peace.
…Christ the Savior is born!”
Christmas Quotes From Movies
“There’s A Certain Magic That Comes With The Very First Snow. For When The First Snow Is Also A Christmas Snow, Well, Something Wonderful Is Bound To Happen” ~Frosty The Snowman (1969)
“Why am I such a misfit? I am not just a nitwit. Just because my nose glows… why don’t I fit in?” ~Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964)
“The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear.” ~Elf (2003)
“I’m dreaming of a White Christmas.” ~Bing Crosby’s White Christmas(1954)
“That’s What Christmas Memories Are Made From, They’re Not planned, They’re Not Scheduled, Nobody Puts Them In Their Blackberry, They Just Happen” ~Deck The Halls (2006)
“I want an official Red Ryder, carbine action, two-hundred shot range model air rifle!” ~A Christmas Story (1983)
“Oh, Christmas isn’t just a day, it’s a frame of mind.” ~Miracle On 34th Street (1947)
“OK, This Is Extremely Important. Will You Please Tell Santa That Instead Of Presents This Year, I Just Want My Family Back?” ~Home Alone (1990)
“The only thing you need to worry about is where you’re going to buy your sweaters after the circus pulls out of town.” ~The Santa Clause (1994)
“I will honor Christmas in my heart and try to keep it all the year.” ~A Christmas Carol (2009)
“ I just like to smile, smiling’s my favorite” ~Elf (2003)
“Christmas Is Just About My Favorite Time. Ever Since I Was A Little Kid, I Always Felt Like It Was My Own Personal Holiday” ~Ernest Saves Christmas (1988)
After Christmas Quotes
Happy Day After Christmas, Merry Rest of the Year, even when Christmas is over, The Light of the World is Still Here! ~Matthew West
I had sinus surgery the day after Christmas and it has been the worst surgery of my life. Very painful. And on top of it everyone of course thought I got a nose job. Which is so funny because if you know me I would have told you I got a nose job I’m not gonna keep it a secret. ~Kaley Cuoco
I felt overstuffed and dull and disappointed, the way I always do the day after Christmas. ~Sylvia Plath
Glen had a disability more disfiguring than a burn and more terrifying than cancer. Glen had been born on the day after Christmas. “My parents just combine my birthday with Christmas, that’s all,” he explained. But we knew this was a lie. Glen’s parents just wrapped a couple of his Christmas presents in birthday-themed wrapping paper, stuck some candles in a supermarket cake, and had a dinner of Christmas leftovers. ~Augusten Burroughs
I felt overstuffed and dull and disappointed, the way I always do the day after Christmas, as if whatever it was the pine boughs and the candles and the silver and gilt-ribboned presents and the birch-log fires and the Christmas turkey and the carols at the piano promised never came to pass. ~Sylvia Plath
Conclusion
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