Blessed is the season that engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love. —Hamilton W. Mabie
I HAVE ALWAYS THOUGHT of Christmas time, when it has come round, as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys. —Scrooge’s nephew in A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens
THE WORLD IS FILLED WITH THE SOUNDS OF CHRISTMAS. If you listen with your outer ears, you will hear carols, bells, and laughter, and now and then a sob of loneliness. If you listen with the inner ear, you will hear the sound of an-gels’ wings, the hush of inner expectation, and the sacred sound of the deepest silence, the vibrant whisper of the eternal Word.
The world is filled with the sights of Christmas. If you look with your outer eyes, you will see brightly decorated trees, tinseled stars, flaming candles, and a crèche. If you look with the inner eye, you will see the star of Bethlehem in your own heart. —Adapted from Anna May Nielson
WHAT IS CHRISTMAS? It is tenderness for the past, courage for the present, hope for the future. It is a fervent wish that every cup may overflow with blessings rich and eternal, and that every path may lead to peace. —Agnes M. Pahro
MANKIND IS A GREAT, AN IMMENSE FAMILY. This is proved by what we feel in our hearts at Christmas. —Pope John XXIII
IT IS CHRISTMAS in the heart that puts Christmas in the air. —W. T. Ellis
May 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