With October wrapping up in less than two weeks, Thanksgiving and Christmas will be here before you know it. So, I thought it would be fun to share some of my favorite inspirational quotes that capture the true spirit of the holidays! Let’s check them out!
Inspirational Quotes That Really Capture the True Spirit of the Holidays
Add these inspiring quotes about the holidays to journals (some make great prompts), include them in handmade cards, or even print them out and hang them up as a reminder to reflect on the true spirit of the season. Anything goes, really!
1. Engage the whole world in a conspiracy of love
Finally, a conspiracy that I can actually get behind!
2. The ingredients for a merry feat
“Small cheer and great welcome makes a merry feast.” – William Shakespeare
A simple quote, but a great reminder that it doesn’t take much to make a holiday feast “merry.” You don’t need a fancy menu or expensive wine. Just welcoming loved ones into your home and spreading a little cheer is all it takes!
3. Put others’ happiness before your own
“The true Christmas spirit is putting others’ happiness before our own, and finding you’ve never known such happiness.” ― Toni Sorenson
Shouldn’t this be the true spirit of life in general and not just Christmas? If we all cared about each other’s happiness at least as much as our own, the world would be a much brighter place.
4. Be thankful for what you have and…
Thanksgiving is about being grateful for what we have. So use this time to really reflect on all of the good things in your life rather than focusing on what’s missing.
5. … you won’t notice the things you lack so much
“It’s a funny thing about life, once you begin to take note of the things you are grateful for, you begin to lose sight of the things that you lack.” ― Germany Kent
This one goes along with Oprah’s quote. Once you start thinking about all of those good things in your life, the things that you feel you’re lacking start to take a back seat. Maybe they’re never truly gone from your mind, especially if they’re really big things (like a lost loved one), but they do “blur” a bit go out of focus so to speak.
6. It really is all about the little things
“Sometimes the little things in life mean the most.” ― Ellen Hopkins
One last quote to really drive home Oprah’s point. As I’ve said so many times before, it really is the little things that make life so worth living.
7. The true magic of the holidays is how we fill empty hearts with joy
“The joy of brightening other lives, bearing each others’ burdens, easing others’ loads and supplanting empty hearts and lives with generous gifts becomes for us the magic of the holidays.” – W. C. Jones
How we all come together to help each other, to ease one and other’s burdens, and to fill everyone’s hearts with joy is all part of what makes the holidays such a magical time.
8. The holidays bring us all together
“Holidays–any holiday–are such a great opportunity to focus on bringing the family together.” –Lidia Bastianich Tis the season for letting go of old grudges, forgiving the people who matter most, or at least putting aside your differences for one day so you can enjoy what precious little time you have together.
9. It’s how we use our blessings that matter the most.
“Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our thanksgiving.” ― W. T. Purkiser
It’s not enough to just say that you’re thankful for your blessings. What matters, even more, is how you use them. Which brings us to…
10. Share the things you’re thankful for
“If you are really thankful, what do you do? You share.” ― W. Clement Stone
There’s no better way to show that you’re truly grateful for your gifts, your talents, or your blessings than to share them with others.
11. Thankfulness leads to peace…
“Thankfulness creates gratitude which generates contentment that causes peace.” – Todd Stocker
Did you know that there is a difference between being thankful and being grateful? According to the philosopher Henri Frederic Amiel, “Thankfulness is the beginning of gratitude. Gratitude is the completion of thankfulness. Thankfulness may consist merely of words. Gratitude is shown in acts.”
What Todd Stocker is saying is that when you’re thankful for something, you show your gratitude. That, in turn, leads to feelings of contentment, which above all else is the best way to find peace in your life. Plus, when you’re at peace, you’ll often learn that you have so much more than you ever imagined, which leads back to thankfulness. So it’s a beautiful circle.
12. A great explanation of gratitude vs. thankfulness
This is another (and slightly less wordy) way of explaining the difference between gratitude and thankfulness.
13. Thanksgiving is for everyone
“What I love about Thanksgiving is that it’s purely about getting together with friends or family and enjoying food. It’s really for everybody, and it doesn’t matter where you’re from.”—Daniel Humm
It doesn’t matter which religion you follow, what your politics are, or where you’re from. Thanksgiving truly is a holiday for everyone. (Oh, and for those thinking it’s only an American holiday, it’s actually not. Many countries have their own versions of the holiday, just on different days than ours.
14. Enjoy authentic moments together
Okay, so this isn’t really a quote so much as a message that’s usually sent home with school bulletins around the holidays, but it’s a great reminder of what the season is all about: spending time together talking and making memories.
15. Let’s be grateful for the people who make our hearts happy
“Let us be grateful to people who make us happy, they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.”—Marcel Proust
With so much craziness in the world and so many people fighting with each other, the holidays are a great time to just take a moment to be thankful for the people who always bring joy to your heart.
16. Don’t wait until Christmas to show people you love them
“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
I agree with Bob Hope, we should love each other every day and not just from late November through the New Year. We should never wait to tell people how much we love them. Remember, tomorrow isn’t promised.
17. The things that make a Christmas truly merry
More than anything else in this world, your family needs time with you, not more stuff. So rather than trying to outdo last year’s pile under the tree, why not give each other the gift of time? If you need some ideas, check out these amazing meaningful experience gifts.
18. Christmas unleashes our inner child
“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 Christmas time.” – Laura Ingalls Wilder
Christmas is the one day of the year where all of our inner children are invited to come out and play. I think we should embrace that feeling every day. After all, getting older doesn’t mean giving up on fun!
19. The best Christmas gift suggestions ever…
“Christmas gift suggestions: to your enemy, forgiveness. To an opponent, tolerance. To a friend, your heart. To a customer, service. To all, charity. To every child, a good example. To yourself, respect.” – Oren Arnold
I think these Christmas gift suggestions beautifully capture everything that the holiday is supposed to mean. Forgive the people who have wronged you, even if you can’t forget. Learn to at least tolerate different opinions, even if you’ll never agree. Give your loved ones the gift they want most, your heart. Be kind to each other, be a good role model. Most of all, love yourself.
20. Perhaps Christmas means a little bit more
“Maybe Christmas doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.” – The Grinch
I think that’s one of the best inspirational quotes about the holidays to finish this off, don’t you? The holidays (whichever one you celebrate) mean so much more than anything you can find in a store. If you remember that, you’ll always keep the true meaning of Thanksgiving and Christmas in your heart.
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