Christmas Quotes For Your Holiday Messages and Celebrations

It's the most wonderful time of the year to recite the saying, "Merry Christmas, you filthy animal."
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Brittany Barber
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Brittany Barber
The Knot Contributor
  • From top movie picks to celebrity scoops and travel advice, Brittany writes on a wide range of topics for The Knot.
  • While Brittany is a contributing writer for The Knot Worldwide, she also provides shopping content for publications like BuzzFeed, CTV and The National Post.
  • Brittany has a Bachelor of Arts in media and communications studies, along with minors in creative writing, theater studies and music performance....
Updated Dec 10, 2024

The Christmas season is a time when celebration and togetherness take center stage. And what better way to capture the feeling of this festive holiday than through the words we share? With our list of Christmas quotes, you'll have plenty of inspiration to pull from. Whether you're writing heartfelt Merry Christmas card messages, crafting the perfect Christmas caption for Instagram or just looking for ways to get into the holiday spirit, we've got you covered.

From classic Christmas quotes to funny holiday quotes, we've curated a collection of 100-plus Christmas quotes and wishes that celebrate the true essence of the season. So, as you gather with family and friends, exchange gifts and create new memories, let these festive quotes remind you of all the good times to be had this holiday season. It's the time to eat, drink and be merry after all!

Christmas wishes and quotes in this article:

    Merry Christmas Quotes

    Merry Christmas quote
    Graphic: Natalie Romine

    Here are some basic 'Merry Christmas' quotes to spark some inspiration and get you in the holiday spirit.

    • "Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!"
    • "Merry, merry!"
    • "Have yourself a merry little Christmas."
    • "Wishing you a very merry Christmas."
    • "Merry Christmas with lots of love."
    • "May your Christmas be merry."
    • "Have a very Christmas and a happy New Year."
    • "Have the merriest Christmas."
    • "Best wishes and a merry Christmas!"
    • "Eat, drink and be merry!"

    Funny Christmas Quotes

    Funny Christmas quote
    Graphic: Natalie Romine

    If you're looking for funny Christmas quotes to use in your Christmas cards, holiday party invites or December Instagram captions, have a look at these.

    • "You know you're getting old when Santa starts looking younger." — Robert Paul
    • "Don we now our ugly sweaters…"
    • "Christmas is a baby shower that went totally overboard." — Andy Borowitz
    • "When you stop believing in Santa, you get socks and underwear."
    • "Santa Claus has the right idea: visit people only once a year." — Victor Borge
    • "The worst gift is a fruitcake. There is only one fruitcake in the entire world and people keep sending it to each other." — Johnny Carson
    • "Nothing says holiday like a cheese log." — Ellen DeGeneres
    • "I'm dreaming of a white Christmas, but if the white runs out, I'll drink the red."
    • "The main reason Santa is so jolly is because he knows where all the bad girls live." — George Carlin
    • "You're a gift in my life. And not the kind I'd return for store credit."
    • "Who's the bane of Santa's life? The elf and safety officer." — Catherine Tate
    • "I'm only a morning person on December 25th."
    • "Keep your friends close, your enemies closer and receipts for all major purchases." — Bridger Winegar
    • "I haven't taken my Christmas lights down. They look so nice on the pumpkin." — Winston Spear
    • "Mail your packages early, so the post office can lose them in time for Christmas." — Johnny Carson
    • "What do you call a snowman with a six-pack? An ~abdominal~ snowman."

    Festive Christmas Quotes & Greetings

    Festive Christmas quote
    Graphic: Natalie Romine

    Whether you're sending out holiday emails or mailing out gifts this year, here are some sweet Christmas card messages you can quote in your Christmas correspondences.

    • "Best wishes for a happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year."
    • "Wishing you a holly jolly Christmas."
    • "May your days be merry and bright."
    • "Yule always be in my heart."
    • "Good tidings we bring to you and your kin."
    • "Warmest wishes this holiday season."
    • "Wishing you a season filled with warmth, comfort and good cheer."
    • "Warmest thoughts and best wishes for a wonderful Christmas."
    • "Sending you love, peace and joy this Christmas season."
    • "Wishing you a bright and merry Christmas."
    • "May your heart be light, your season be bright and your Christmas be white."
    • "May the spirit of Christmas warm your home and fill your heart with happiness."
    • "Sending you warm and heartfelt wishes for an amazing Christmas."
    • "May your days be merry and bright and may all your Christmases be white."
    • "May your home be filled with all the joys the season brings."
    • "From our home to yours, sending warm wishes for a bright and merry Christmas."
    • "With love, laughter and warm wishes, we hope you enjoy a Christmas that's special in every way."
    • "Wishing you all the happiness your holiday can hold."

    Short Christmas Quotes

    Short Christmas Quote
    Graphic: Natalie Romine

    Keep your Christmas messages sweet and simple this holiday season with these short Christmas quotes.

    • "Peace on Earth, goodwill to men."
    • "Merry and bright."
    • "Home for the holidays."
    • "Let it snow!"
    • "Jingle all the way."
    • "Tis the season to be jolly."
    • "All is calm, all is bright."
    • "Joy to the world!"
    • "Believe in the magic of Christmas."
    • "Snowflakes are kisses from heaven."
    • "Ho, ho, ho!"
    • "Peace, joy and love to you."
    • "May your heart be light."
    • "Fa-la-la-la-la."

    Inspirational Christmas Quotes

    Inspirational Christmas quote
    Graphic: Natalie Romine

    These inspirational Christmas quotes are perfect to use as couple captions on your cute Instagram photos, in your holiday letters and greeting cards.

    • "Christmas is the day that holds all time together." — Alexander Smith
    • "Christmas waves a magic wand over this world and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful." — Norman Vincent Peale
    • "Christmas is a season not only of rejoicing but of reflection." — Winston Churchill
    • "At Christmas, all roads lead home." — Marjorie Holmes
    • "From home to home and heart to heart, from one place to another. The warmth and joy of Christmas bring us closer to each other." — Emily Matthews
    • "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." — Calvin Coolidge
    • "Let us keep Christmas beautiful without a thought of greed." — Ann Garnett Schultz
    • "The only blind person at Christmastime is he who has not Christmas in his heart." — Helen Keller
    • "Peace on earth will come to stay when we live Christmas every day." — Helen Steiner Rice
    • "Christmas is a season for kindling the fire for hospitality in the hall, the genial flame of charity in the heart." — Washington Irving
    • "Christmas is doing a little something extra for someone." — Charles M. Schulz
    • "He who has not Christmas in his heart will never find it under a tree." — Roy L. Smith
    • "Christmas, my child, is love in action." — Dale Evans
    • "Gifts of time and love are surely the basic ingredients of a truly merry Christmas." — Peg Bracken
    • "Christmas is not as much about opening our presents as opening our hearts." — Janice Maeditere

    Christmas Movie Quotes

    Christmas movie quotes
    Graphic: Natalie Romine

    From National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation quotes to song lyrics from Nightmare Before Christmas, here are some iconic lines from everyone's favorite Holiday movies.

    • "Merry Christmas, you filthy animal." — Home Alone (1990), Gangster Johnny
    • "The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear." — Elf (2003), Buddy
    • "Nobody's walking out on this fun, old-fashioned family Christmas." — National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989), Clark Griswold
    • "There's children throwing snowballs instead of throwing heads. They're busy building toys and absolutely no one's dead!" — The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), Jack Skellington
    • "Just because you can't see something doesn't mean it doesn't exist." — The Santa Clause (1994), Dr. Neil Miller
    • "I never thought it was such a bad little tree. It's not bad at all, really. Maybe it just needs a little love." — A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965), Linus Van Pelt
    • "When someday, you return to Christmas Town, would you tell Santa about our homeless toys? I'm sure he will find little boys and girls who will be happy with them. A toy is never truly happy until it is loved by a child." — Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964), King Moonracer
    • "If I woke up tomorrow with my head sewn to the carpet, I wouldn't be more surprised than I am right now." — A Christmas Story (1983), Clark Griswold
    • "The nerve of those Whos. Inviting me down there - on such short notice! Even if I wanted to go, my schedule wouldn't allow it." — How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000), The Grinch
    • "You know, I don't tell many people this, but Christmas is just about my favorite time. Ever since I was a little kid, I always felt like it was my own personal holiday." — Ernest Saves Christmas (1988), Ernest

    Christmas Quotes From Literature

    Christmas quotes from books
    Graphic: Natalie Romine

    If you're not sure how to start writing your Christmas greetings, look to authors for famous Christmas quotes.

    • "Happy, happy Christmas, 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, The Pickwick Papers
    • "Fine old Christmas, with the snowy hair and ruddy face, had done his duty that year in the noblest fashion and had set off his rich gifts of warmth and color with all the heightening contrast of frost and snow." — George Eliot, The Mill on the Floss
    • "One can never have enough socks." — J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
    • "The rooms were very still while the pages were softly turned and the winter sunshine crept in to touch the bright heads and serious faces with a Christmas greeting." – Louisa May Alcott, Little Women
    • "Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before! What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas...perhaps...means a little bit more!" — Dr. Seuss, How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
    • "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
    • "Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmastime." — Laura Ingalls Wilder, Little House on the Prairie
    • "Christmas is the time for miracles and you're about to see one." — E.T.A. Hoffmann, The Nutcracker
    • "The North Polar Bear is called Mr. Paws and he is so silly, you would hardly believe it." — J.R.R. Tolkien, The Christmas Letters

    Christmas Song Quotes

    Christmas Quote from Songs
    Graphic: Natalie Romine

    Christmas song lyrics are perfect to quote in your family Christmas cards or holiday Instagram captions.

    • "I'm dreaming of a white Christmas, just like the ones I used to know." — "White Christmas," Bing Crosby, Merry Christmas
    • "It's the most wonderful time of the year." — "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year," Andy Williams, Merry Christmas
    • "Have yourself a merry little Christmas, let your heart be light." — "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," Frank Sinatra, A Jolly Christmas from Frank Sinatra
    • "Sleigh bells ring, are you listening? In the lane, snow is glistening." — "Winter Wonderland," Dean Martin, A Winter Romance
    • "Rockin' around the Christmas tree, have a happy holiday." — "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree," Brenda Lee, Merry Christmas
    • "You will get a sentimental feeling when you hear, voices singing 'Let's be jolly.'" — "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas," Perry Como, Merry Christmas Music
    • "Jingle bell time, it's a swell time, to go gliding in a one-horse sleigh." — "Jingle Bell Rock," Bobby Helms, Jingle Bell Rock/Captain Santa Claus (And His Reindeer Space Patrol)
    • "Chestnuts roasting on an open fire, Jack Frost nipping at your nose." — "The Christmas Song," Nat King Cole, The Nat King Cole Story
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