Thoughts on Christmas

.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow:

I heard the bells on Christmas day
Their old familiar carols play
And mild and sweet the words repeat,
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

I thought how as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had roll'd along th' unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

And in despair I bow'd my head:
"There is no peace on earth," I said,
"For hate is strong, and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men...."

Calvin Coolidge:

Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind. To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas.

Barbara Ehrenreich:

I was raised the old-fashioned way, with a stern set of moral principles: Never lie, cheat, steal or knowingly spread a venereal disease. Never speed up to hit a pedestrian or, of course, stop to kick a pedestrian who has already been hit. From which it followed, of course, that one would never, ever -- on pain of deletion from dozens of Christmas card lists across the country -- vote Republican.

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 E. Rundel


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. Pharo


He who has not Christmas in his heart will never find it under a tree. ~Roy L. Smith

Twelve Days of Christmas... sort of (from Arbrouth)




Christmas is the Disneyfication of Christianity ~ Don Cupitt


Christmas is a holiday that persecutes the lonely, the frayed, and the rejected~ Jimmy Cannon


Christmas carolers sing about peace on earth, but they don’t tell us where~ Unknown



Disapproving Cinammon



Friendship is a precious gift. To give at CHRISTMAS time. A Cherished gift, a treasured gift that lasts through all time ~ Unknown


Although we won't be seeing you at Christmastime this year,
Warm, loving thoughts will make the miles between us disappear.
Merry Christmas ~ Unknown


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

Merry Christmas