On this special weekend in this special season of good will and joy, we offer the following for your thoughts and reflection:

“And the angel said unto them, ‘Fear not! For, behold, I bring you tidings of great joy, Which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David A Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you: Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, Lying in a manger.’”

— Luke 2:10-12

“Christmas is the day that holds all time together.”

— Alexander Smith

“Christmas is the one time of year when people of all religions come together to worship Jesus Christ.”

— Bart Simpson

“Unless we make Christmas an occasion to share our blessings, all the snow in Alaska won’t make it ‘white.’’’

— Bing Crosby

“My idea of Christmas, whether old-fashioned or modern, is very simple: loving others. Come to think of it, why do we have to wait for Christmas to do that”

— Bob Hope

“Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful.”

— Norman Vincent Peale

“Christmas is for children. But it is for grownups too. Even if it is a headache, a chore and nightmare, it is a period of necessary defrosting of chill and hide-bound hearts.”

— Lenora Mattingly Weber

“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.”

— President Calvin Coolidge

“O Father, may that Holy StarGrow every year more bright, And send its glorious beams afarTo fill the world with light.”

— William Cullen Bryant

“The mystery of the Holy Night, which historically happened two thousand years ago, must be lived as a spiritual event in the ‘today’ of the Liturgy. The Word who found a dwelling in Mary’s womb comes to knock on the heart of every person with singular intensity this Christmas.”

— Pope John Paul II

“It was always said of him, that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge. May that be truly said of us, and all of us! And so, as Tiny Tim observed, ‘God Bless Us, Every One!’”

— Charles Dickens

“There’s nothing sadder in this world than to awake Christmas morning and not be a child.”

— Erma Bombeck

“In the old days, it was not called the Holiday Season; the Christians called it ‘Christmas’ and went to church; the Jews called it ‘Hanukkah’ and went to synagogue; the atheists went to parties and drank. People passing each other on the street would say ‘Merry Christmas!’ or ‘Happy Hanukkah!’ or (to the atheists) ‘Look out for the wall!’”

— Dave Barry

“I’m dreaming of a white Christmas,Just like the ones I used to know,Where the tree tops glistenAnd children listenTo hear sleigh bells in the snow.”

— Irving Berlin

“Have yourself a merry little Christmas, make the Yuletide gay.”

— Ralph Blane

“The magi, as you know, were wise men — wonderfully wise men who brought gifts to the Babe in the manger. They invented the art of giving Christmas presents.”

— O. Henry

“Dear Lord, I’ve been asked, nay commanded, to thank Thee for the Christmas turkey before us ... a turkey which was no doubt a lively, intelligent bird ... a social being ... capable of actual affection ... nuzzling its young with almost human- like compassion. Anyway, it’s dead and we’re gonna eat it. Please give our respects to its family.

— Berke Breathed

“Christmas is the season for kindling the fire of hospitality in the hall, the genial flame of charity in the heart.”

— Washington Irving

“This is the month, and this the happy morn, wherein the Son of heaven’s eternal King, of wedded Maid and Virgin Mother born, our great redemption from above did bring.”

— John Milton

“Christmas is the season when people run out of money before they run out of friends.”

— Larry Wilde

“It is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the air.”

— W. T. Ellis

“God rest you merry, gentlemen,Let nothing you dismay,For Jesus Christ, our Saviour,Was born upon this day,To save us all from Satan’s powerWhen we were gone astray.O tidings of comfort and joy!For Jesus Christ, our Saviour,Was born on Christmas Day.”

— Dinah Maria Mulock Craik

“The Supreme Court has ruled that they cannot have a nativity scene in Washington, D.C. This wasn’t for any religious reasons. They couldn’t find three wise men and a virgin.”

— Jay Leno

“Call a truce, then, to our labors — let us feast with friends and neighbors, and be merry as the custom of our caste; for if ‘faint and forced the laughter,’ and if sadness follow after, we are richer by one mocking Christmas past.”

— Rudyard Kipling

“On Christmas, we pray for freedom, justice, and peace on Earth. We remember those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country and for our freedom, and we ask for God’s blessing on their loved ones.”

— President George W. Bush

“I heard the bells on Christmas DayTheir old, familiar carols play, And wild and sweetThe word repeatOf peace on earth,Good-will to men!”

— Henry Wadsworth Longfellow