70 Best Christmas Quotes That Capture the Warmth of the Holiday (2024)

READER'S DIGEST, GETTY IMAGES

Best Christmas quotes

1. “A lovely thing about Christmas is that it’s compulsory, like a thunderstorm, and we all go through it together.” —Garrison Keillor

2. “Christmas, children, is not a date. It is a state of mind.” —Mary Ellen Chase

3. “AtChristmas, play and make good cheer, forChristmascomes but once a year.” —Thomas Tusser

4. “From a commercial point of view, ifChristmas did not exist, it would be necessary to invent it.” —Katharine Whitehorn

5. “‘Twas the night beforeChristmas, when all through the house, Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse; The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there.” —Clement Clarke Moore

6. “There is nothing sadder in this world than to awakeChristmas morning and not be a child. … Time, self-pity, apathy, bitterness and exhaustion can take the Christmasout of the child, but you cannot take the child out ofChristmas.” —Erma Bombeck

7. “For a good conscience is a continualChristmas.” —Benjamin Franklin

8. “And numerous indeed are the hearts to whichChristmasbrings a brief season of happiness and enjoyment.” —Charles Dickens

9. “Happy, happyChristmas, that can win us back to the delusions of our childish days; that can recall to the old man the pleasures of his youth; that can transport the sailor and the traveler, thousands of miles away, back to his own fire-side and his quiet home!” —Charles Dickens

10. “It is my heart-warmed and world-embracingChristmashope and aspiration that all of us, the high, the low, the rich, the poor, the admired, the despised, the loved, the hated, the civilized, the savage (every man and brother of us all throughout the whole earth), may eventually be gathered together in a heaven of everlasting rest and peace and bliss, except the inventor of the telephone.” —Mark Twain

11. “Christmas is a time in which, of all times in the year, the memory of every remediable sorrow, wrong and trouble in the world around us, should be active with us, not less than our own experiences, for all good.” —Charles Dickens

12. “Personally, of course, I believe in Santa Claus; but it is the season of forgiveness, and I will forgive others for not doing so.” —G.K. Chesterton

13. “I heard the bells onChristmas Day, Their old, familiar carols play, And wild and sweet, The words repeat, Of peace on earth, good-will to men!” —Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

14. “Angels come down, withChristmas in their hearts, Gentle, whimsical, laughing, heaven-sent; And, for a day, fair Peace have given me.” —Vachel Lindsay

15. “No one has a right to expect anything atChristmas. It should be a day of unexpected and unlooked-for blessings, which drop as the gentle dew from heaven.” —Margaret Collier Graham

16. “Sometimes the bestChristmaspresent is remembering what you’ve already got.” —Cathy Guisewite

17. “To perceiveChristmasthrough its wrapping becomes more difficult with every year.” —E.B. White

18. “To appreciate Christmas to the full, one must know how it feels to be deprived of its blessings.” —Carlos P. Romulo

RD.COM, GETTY IMAGES

Christmas quotes from books

24. “For it is good to be children sometimes, and never better than at Christmas, when its mighty Founder was a child himself.” —Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol

25. “Christmas isn’t a season. It’s a feeling.” —Edna Ferber, Roast Beef, Medium

26. “Christmas was close at hand, in all his bluff and hearty honesty; it was the season of hospitality, merriment, and open-heartedness; the old year was preparing, like an ancient philosopher, to call his friends around him, and amidst the sound of feasting and revelry to pass gently and calmly away.” —Charles Dickens, The Pickwick Papers

27. “There must be something ghostly in the air of Christmas—something about the close, muggy atmosphere that draws up the ghosts, like the dampness of the summer rains brings out the frogs and snails.” —Jerome K. Jerome, Told After Supper

28. “‘I know it’s hard being a single mother, baby,’ he said, ‘but we’re talking fundamentals here. Homemade cookies are one of the best parts of Christmas. It’s an absolute fundamental.’” —Dean Koontz, Strangers

29. “It was the beginning of the greatestChristmasever. Little food. No presents. But there was a snowman in their basement.” —Markus Zusak, The Book Thief

Funny Christmas quotes

31. “I didn’t know the full dimensions of forever, but I knew it was longer than waiting forChristmasto come.” —Richard Brautigan

32. “BloodyChristmas, here again, let us raise a loving cup, peace on earth, goodwill to men and make them do the washing up.” —Wendy Cope

33. “The ultimate in longevity is theChristmasfruitcake. It is a cake made during the holidays with fruits that make it heavier than the stove it is cooked in.” —Erma Bombeck

34. “There are 17 more shopping days untilChristmas. So, guys, that means 16 more days till we start shopping, right?” —Conan O’Brien

35. “In my experience, clever food is not appreciated atChristmas. It makes the little ones cry and the old ones nervous.” —Jane Grigson

36. “It will be a very traditionalChristmas, with presents, crackers, doors slamming and people bursting into tears, but without the big dead thing in the middle.” —Victoria Wood

37. “What I don’t like about officeChristmasparties is looking for a job the next day.” —Phyllis Diller

38. “‘Twas the night before Christmas, the office was closed, The transom was shut, the staff home in repose … ” —Charles Stross

39. “Michelle will tell you that when we get together forChristmas or Thanksgiving, it’s like a little mini-United Nations. … I’ve got relatives who look like Bernie Mac, and I’ve got relatives who look like Margaret Thatcher. We’ve got it all.” —Barack Obama

RD.COM, GETTY IMAGES

Heartwarming Christmas quotes

40. “The sharpest memory of our old-fashionedChristmas Eve is my mother’s hand making sure I was settled in bed.” —Paul Engle

41. “In those days,Christmas still retained a certain aura of magic and mystery. The powdery light of winter, the hopeful expressions of people who lived among shadows and silence, lent that setting a slight air of promise in which at least children and those who had learned the art of forgetting could still believe.” —Carlos Ruiz Zafón

42. “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 melody that would last forever. Even though you grew up and found you could never quite bring back the magic feeling of this night, the melody would stay in your heart always—a song for all the years.” —Bess Streeter Aldrich

43. “Christmasis the celebration of the keeping of a promise. A saving promise.” —Michael Card

44. “In the midst of the shopping and the wrapping and the arranging of presents under your tree thisChristmas, may you not forget the gifts you cannot yet hold in your hands.” —T.D. Jakes

45. “I love snow for the same reason I loveChristmas: It brings people together while time stands still.” —Rachel Cohn

46. “I love to observeChristmas in quietude, humility, benevolence, charity, letting goodwill towards man, eloquent silence, prayer and praise express my conception of Truth’s appearing.” —Mary Baker Eddy

47. “Curious, how one rememberedChristmas. Perhaps because other days might appeal to the head, but this one appealed to the heart.” —Mary Roberts Rinehart

48. “The magical dust ofChristmasglittered on the cheeks of humanity ever so briefly, reminding us of what is worth having and what we were intended to be.” —Max Lucado

RD.COM, GETTY IMAGES

Religious Christmas quotes

49. “If we could condense all the truths ofChristmasinto only three words, these would be the words: ‘God with us.’” —John F. MacArthur

50. “Who among us will celebrateChristmas correctly? Whoever finally lays down all power, all honor, all reputation, all vanity, all arrogance, all individualism beside the manger; whoever remains lowly and lets God alone be high. ” —Dietrich Bonhoeffer

51. “Much of the beauty ofChristmaslies in its challenge to look further, deeper, until we find its secret in the heart of God. But we never find that unless we look beyond the presents under the tree.” —Dale Evans

52. “The time draws near the birth of Christ; The moon is hid; the night is still; TheChristmas bells from hill to hill, Answer each other in the mist.” —Alfred, Lord Tennyson

53. “Christmasin Bethlehem. The ancient dream: a cold, clear night made brilliant by a glorious star, the smell of incense, shepherds and wise men falling to their knees in adoration of the sweet baby, the incarnation of perfect love.” —Lucinda Franks

54. “We tend to focus our attention atChristmas on the infancy of Christ. The greater truth of the holiday is His deity. More astonishing than a baby in the manger is the truth that this promised baby is the omnipotent Creator of the heavens and the earth!” —John F. MacArthur

55. “The very purpose of Christ’s coming into the world was that He might offer up His life as a sacrifice for the sins of men. He came to die. This is the heart ofChristmas.” —Billy Graham

56. “Without Christ, there would be no Christmas, and without Christ, there can be no fullness of joy.” —Ezra Taft Benson

57. “It is Christmas every time you let God love others through you.” —Mother Teresa

58. “Christmas is joy, religious joy, an inner joy of light and peace.” —Pope Francis

Along with the Christmas quotes above, let these religious Christmas quotes inspire and motivate you this holiday season.

Why trust us

At Reader’s Digest, we’ve been sharing our favorite quotes for over 100 years. The sayings and quips that appear in the magazine’s “Quotable Quotes” (formerly “Remarkable Remarks”) are curated from interviews and essays originally published in the magazine, reprints from trusted titles and other verified sources. For this piece on Christmas quotes, Reader’s Digest Associate Editor Mariah Thomas tapped her experience as a lifestyle editor and writer to ensure that all information is accurate. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.