Quotes & Sayings About The Spirit Of The Holidays

The Christmas season is also that time of year when the business world implores us to consider the material as more important than the spiritual, all in the spirit of 'the holidays.' So we celebrate the arrival on Christmas Day of iPods and DVDs ... Then again, maybe this is precisely the kind of seasonal silliness that causes the Christian faithful to shut out the noise and contemplate the real nativity scene and its eternal promise. — L. Brent Bozell Jr.

What is the spirit of Christmas, you ask? Let me give you the answer in a true story...
On a cold day in December, feeling especially warm in my heart for no other reason than it was the holiday season, I walked through the store sporting a big grin on my face. Though most people were far too busy going about their business to notice me, one elderly gentleman in a wheelchair brought his eyes up to meet mine as we neared each other traveling opposite directions. He slowed in passing just long enough to speak to me.
"Now that's a Christmas smile if I ever saw one," he said.
My lips stretched to their limit in response, and I thanked him for the compliment. Then we went our separate ways. But, as I thought about the man and how sweetly he'd touched me, I realized something simply wonderful! In that brief, passing interaction we'd exchanged heartfelt gifts!
And that, my friend, is the spirit of Christ~mas. — Richelle E. Goodrich

Christmas is not a date on a calendar. It's more than a state of mind. It's a condition of the heart. — Toni Sorenson

Relax and renew your spirit! — Lailah Gifty Akita

Our many different cultures notwithstanding, there's something about the holidays that makes the planet communal. Even nations that do not celebrate Christmas can't help but be caught up in the collective spirit of their neighbors, as twinkling lights dot the landscape and carols fill the air. It's an inspiring time of the year. — Marlo Thomas

The month of December isn't magical because it sparkles. It's magical because it changes people's hearts ... at least momentarily. — Toni Sorenson

If you hate what you get for Christmas, try to focus on the person who gave the gift to you, not what came in the box. — Toni Sorenson

Christmas is such a time of struggle anyway, crammed with busy and hurry and the expectation that you will be joyful, no matter what. Then, if you're like me, when you just sit quietly, just be, and let yourself feel what you feel, the guilt creeps in. Because you're alive and the world is big, and you should be feeling some freakin' Christmas spirit. — Anna White

I love the atmosphere at the mall - everything about Christmas. I don't think anything specific gets me in the holiday spirit except for the holidays themselves. — Drake Bell

In the true spirit of the holidays, let the darkness of your moods lead you back up to the light, and when New Year's rolls around, your resolution will be tinged with new authenticity and power. — Elizabeth Lesser

Significant changes in the psychological atmosphere accompanied the economic development of capitalism. A spirit of restlessness began to pervade life toward the end of the Middle Ages. The concept of time in the modern sense began to develop. Minutes became valuable [ ... ]. Too many holidays began to appear as a misfortune. Time was so valuable that on felt one should never spend it for any purpose which was not useful. Work became increasingly a supreme value. — Erich Fromm

It's not about presents but it is about your presence. Therein lies the spirit of the holiday season. — Julieanne O'Connor

The paradox of relaxation is the renewal of mind; rekindle of spirit and revitalize of strength. — Lailah Gifty Akita

The spirit of Christmas is found when we lift the load of others. — Toni Sorenson

The holidays drape us in magic and give us the hope that we can do better than we have done in the past. — Toni Sorenson

Christmas is about change. It's a time we open our hearts before we open our presents. — Toni Sorenson

Before embarking on a voyage, first speak with the ancient sailors, listen to and understand the winds, then patiently make a boat and sail. Yet, even then, be open to other dreams, changes, circumstances. Throughout our lives, we limit ourselves to fixed goals, only to get on the local ferry and just travel the distance between two known points. Yet, we create an illusion of freedom and choice, accompanied by a sense of independence. Thus, we carefully study weather reports, ride on the port side on odd numbered days, starboard on holidays, have tea at fixed times, never speak with those who wear glasses, always smile at those who wear green and of course allow ourselves just the slight possibility of a dream about jumping ship and going off to our island one day.
C'est la vie? Our predictably totalitarian lives are an insult to the human spirit. — Gunduz Vassaf

If you want to feel the truest spirit of Christmas, go out and find someone sadder than you, lonelier than you, poorer than you ... and give what you can in a smile, in time, in compassion. The best Christmases always require the gift of self. — Toni Sorenson

When you're rearranging the furniture to make way for the decorations and the tree, make sure you rearrange your heart to make room for the Savior of Mankind. — Toni Sorenson

If you can't find the spirit of the holidays in your heart, you'll never find it under a tree. — Michael Holbrook

I promise I won't laugh at you if you sneak out to bury a few Pink Ladies at the roots of our trees this December. Assuredly, you'll be doing your part for next year's crop. And who knows? You might find some buried treasure - be it gold or simple gifts of the spirit. Happy holidays! — Elise Forier Edie