At Christmas it’s tradition in my family to watch such classic Christmas movies as Miracle on 34th Street, It’s a Wonderful Life, and A Christmas story, but we also read some classic holiday stories, including Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol and Truman Capote’s A Christmas Memory. Sometimes, though, when we’re especially busy, we might simply read an inspiring quote, poem, or verse that can be read quickly and then reflected upon throughout the day or before bedtime.
Then again, we also like to send friends and loved ones personalized Christmas cards or notes, and when at a loss for words we might use a Bible verse, poem, or quote written by someone else because it so aptly expresses our sentiment about the holiday season.
Christmas Bible Verses for Celebrating the Birth of Christ
According to the Holy Bible, Jesus Christ was born to the Virgin Mary in the town of Bethlehem, and these verses from the Gospel According to St. Luke speak of the Christ Child’s miraculous birth on that blessed day:
- And she brought forth her first-born son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn. ~ Luke 2: 7
- For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. ~ Luke 2: 11
- And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, good will toward men. ~ Luke 2: 13-14
Christmas Poems and Rhymes for Holiday Cheer
Some poems and rhymes that people enjoy reading alone or with the family for Christmas include the following:
- 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! ~Longfellow—Christmas Bells
- Holy night, peaceful night,\Wondrous Star, lend thy light!\With the angels let us sing\Alleluia to our King,\Jesus the savior is here. ~Joseph Mohr
- Hark the heralded angels sing\”Glory to the new-born king.”\Peace on earth, and mercy mild,\God and sinners reconciled! ~ Charles Wesley—Christmas Hymn
- 'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house\Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse; ~ Clement Clarke Moore—from The Night Before Christmas
Humorous Quotes and Verses for Christmas
If you’re looking for something to make someone laugh, or at least crack a smile, try one of these quotes or verses for the holidays:
- Keep Christmas green—send money! ~Anonymous
- The most popular holiday green still comes from the United States Mint. ~Tell City Indiana News
- O come all ye faithful\To Gimbels’, Fields, and Macy’s.\Buy everything you possibly can\On your credit card or layaway plan. ~ Herbert V. Prochnow
- Hark the newspaper ads do sing,\Make the old cash registers sing,\Clear the shelves and buy like wild\God and easy credit reconciled. ~ Herbert V. Prochnow
Christmas Quotes for Personalized Cards and Notes
If you’re looking for a message to use on a personalized or blank card, you might like one of these:
- Let’s dance and sing and make good cheer\for Christmas comes but once a year. ~G. MacFarren
- There is something far better than observing Christmas Day, and that is keeping the spirit of Christmas each day of the year. ~ Carol Rzadkiewicz
- No Santa Claus! Thank God, he lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood. ~Francis P. Church—Is There a Santa Claus?
How to Say Merry Christmas in Ten Different Languages
Finally, and just for fun, if you would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas but say it in a language other than English, according to Herbert V. Prochnow, author of The New Speaker’s Treasury of Wit and Wisdom, here is how the holiday greeting is expressed in ten other countries:
- Brazi: Boas Festas!
- Denmark: Glaedelig Jul!
- Holland: Hartelijke Kerstgroeten!
- Finland: Hauskaa Joulua!
- France: Joyeux Noel!
- Germany: Froehliche Weihnachten!
- Italy: Bona Natale!
- Spain: Felices Pascuas!
- Sweden: God Jul!
- Portugal: Boas Festas! (Prochnow, 1958)
Sources:
Prochnow, H. & Prochnow, H., Jr. (1983) A Treasure Chest of Quotations for All Occasions; New York: Harper& Row
Five Thousand Quotations for All Occasions (1953) New York: Doubleday & Company
Scofield Reference Bible (1989) New York: Oxford University Press
Prochnow, H. (1958) The New Speaker’s Treasury of Wit and Wisdom; New York: Harper & Row
Carol Rzadkiewicz - Carol Rzadkiewicz has taught college English for over 14 years and is the author of three published novels and numerous short stories.
